Tornado in Arkansas, September 24, 2005

Name: Tornado in Arkansas, September 24, 2005
Start: 2005-09-24T20:21
End: 2005-09-24T20:31
Location: Arkansas

September 24, 2005 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 24, 3:47 PM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 24, 3:47 PM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
447 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

.DISCUSSION...
LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE DATA SUGGESTS THE CENTER OF TROPICAL
STORM RITA IS MOVING NORTHEAST INTO NORTHWEST LOUISIANA.  LATEST
FORECASTS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY MORE PROGRESSIVE REGARDING THE PATH OF
THIS SYSTEM.  HAVE ADJUSTED PRECIPITATION FORECASTS...AND THE
CORRESPONDING FLASH FLOOD WATCH ACCORDINGLY.

EXPECT THE THREAT FOR MINI-SUPERCELLS TO DECREASE AFTER SUNSET...AS
AVAILABLE INSTABILITY DECREASES.

COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AT THE END OF THE
EXTENDED PERIODS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
LITTLE ROCK   AR  70  80  70  85 /  90 100  70  30
HARRISON AR       65  80  66  82 /  40  40  30  10
HOT SPRINGS AR    71  81  70  86 / 100  80  60  20
PINE BLUFF AR     72  80  71  86 / 100 100  70  40
MOUNTAIN HOME AR  65  79  67  82 /  50  60  40  10
MONTICELLO AR     75  80  71  86 / 100 100  70  40
SEARCY AR         69  80  69  85 /  90 100  70  30
MOUNT IDA AR      70  82  69  86 / 100  70  50  20
RUSSELLVILLE AR   68  81  68  85 /  60  70  50  10
&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY FOR
ARZ040-ARZ052-ARZ053-ARZ066-ARZ067-ARZ068.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM SUNDAY FOR ARZ032-ARZ033-ARZ034-
ARZ039-ARZ040-ARZ041-ARZ042-ARZ043-ARZ044-ARZ045-ARZ046-ARZ047-
ARZ052-ARZ053-ARZ054-ARZ055-ARZ056-ARZ057-ARZ062-ARZ063-ARZ064-
ARZ065-ARZ066-ARZ067-ARZ068-ARZ069.

LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM SUNDAY FOR ARZ041-ARZ042-ARZ043-
ARZ044-ARZ045-ARZ054-ARZ055-ARZ056-ARZ057-ARZ062-ARZ063-ARZ064-
ARZ065-ARZ069.

&&

SHORT AND LONG TERM...55

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 24, 4:15 PM CST, 4 hours 6 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
515 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-251000-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
515 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE RITA WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTHWARD TONIGHT.
TROPICAL MOISTURE SURROUNDING RITA WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE
NATURAL STATE.

RAIN WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES BY TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE. THEREFORE...A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS FOR
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. THIS INCLUDES AREAS SOUTH OF MENA...DANVILLE...
SEARCY AND AUGUSTA.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE EMBEDDED IN THE RAIN...AND WILL
HAVE A TENDENCY TO ROTATE EAST OF THE TRACK OF RITA. GIVEN THIS...
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT...GENERALLY IN AREAS SOUTH OF MENA...RUSSELLVILLE AND
BATESVILLE.

CIRCULATION AROUND RITA WILL PRODUCE A BREEZY EASTERLY WIND ACROSS
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS TONIGHT. WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH
WILL PREVAIL. SOME GUSTS TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN SECTIONS.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

RAIN WILL CONTINUE ON SUNDAY...AND WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES. A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...TOTAL
RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY EXCEED 5 INCHES IN PARTS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS.

SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...
MAINLY IN THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE STATE. AGAIN...ISOLATED
TORNADOES MAY BE SPAWNED.

IT APPEARS THAT THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CHANGE ON MONDAY AND
TUESDAY...WITH A NORTHWEST WIND FLOW DEVELOPING ALOFT. A COLD FRONT
WILL RIDE THE FLOW INTO ARKANSAS FROM THE PLAINS...AND MAY SWEEP THE
REMNANTS OF RITA TO THE EAST. THE FRONT...SHOULD IT GO THROUGH...
WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY COOL AND DRY AIR.

YET ANOTHER FRONT WILL ARRIVE FROM THE PLAINS BY AROUND THURSDAY.
MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE LACKING...WITH ONLY A SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE FRONT WILL BRING A
REINFORCING SHOT OF COOLER AIR...WITH SEASONAL TEMPERATURES IN THE
FORECAST.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED OVER SOUTHERN ARKANSAS TONIGHT...
WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.

&&

FOR THE LATEST GRAPHICAL AND TEXT FORECASTS AND OUTLOOKS...PLEASE
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.WEATHER.GOV/LZK

58

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 24, 5:06 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
606 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0545 PM     TORNADO          1 N CATO                34.95N 92.27W
09/24/2005                   FAULKNER           AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY PULASKI COUNTY
            DEPUTY IN PASTURE AT MITCHELL ROAD AND 89.

&&

58

Local storm report, Sep 24, 6:00 PM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
700 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0605 PM     TORNADO          2 N JACKSONVILLE        34.90N 92.13W
09/24/2005                   PULASKI            AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WITH TREES AND POWER LINES
            DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 167.

0610 PM     TORNADO          5 N CONWAY              35.16N 92.45W
09/24/2005                   FAULKNER           AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
            WITH NO DAMAGE.

&&

58

Local storm report, Sep 24, 7:11 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
811 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0740 PM     TORNADO          3 W SEARCY              35.24N 91.78W
09/24/2005                   WHITE              AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR CENTERHILL ON HIGHWAY 36.
            TREES DOWN...STEEPLE BLOWN OFF CHURCH...AND RESIDENCES
            DAMAGED.

&&

58

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Arkansas

When: September 24, 8:21 PM CST to 8:31 PM CST
Where: Arkansas County, 8 mi SE of Deluce
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 34.117, -91.150

A weak tornado touched down over eastern Arkansas County. The tornado moved to the northwest around the remnants of Hurricane Rita. Estimated winds with the tornado were around 90 mph. Damage noted along the path of the tornado consisted of a number of trees that were snapped off and uprooted. The tornado was on the ground for almost 7 miles before dissipating.

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

Every storm in Arkansas in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 2005 Warnings in Arkansas, September 2005

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: 5478381.