Arkansas, 1999

Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999

January 21, 1999 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong tornado was spawned in northwest White County. mainly in the town of Joy.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Winter weather
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.

A strong tornado was spawned in northwest White County. The tornado caused extensive tree damage, and also some property damage...mainly in the town of Joy. In Joy, a shed was destroyed behind an antique store. The volunteer fire department was also heavily damaged. A recreational vehicle was thrown into some trees. The tornado dissipated just north of Highway 310 between Sidon and Pickens.

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:44 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, White

When
January 21, 5:47 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
White County, Joy to 3 mi W of Pickens
Rating
F2
Path length
10 mi
Path width
300 yd
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
35.250, -91.980

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1999Warnings in Arkansas, January 1999

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5685640.