Arkansas, 1999

Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999

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

A strong tornado moved from eastern Independence County into northwest Jackson County. The tornado headed mostly through rural areas and caused extensive tree damage as it tracked along the Black River.

Where it happened

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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 moved from eastern Independence County into northwest Jackson County. The tornado headed mostly through rural areas and caused extensive tree damage as it tracked along the Black River. In some forested areas, there were hardly any trees left standing as seen from an aerial survey. The tornado continued northeast into southern Lawrence County (Memphis County Warning Area).

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:14 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Jackson

When
January 21, 6:16 PM CST to 6:36 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, Elgin to 3 mi NW of Swifton
Rating
F3
Path length
15 mi
Path width
700 yd
Reported by
AIRPLANE PILOT
Coordinates
35.720, -91.330

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5685642.