Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2004

F1 tornado, Chickalah to Pottsville, Arkansas, April 21, 2004

From Chickalah to Pottsville, this F1 tornado ran 11.5 miles across Yell and Pope counties on April 21, 2004, touching down at 4:41 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
April 21, 2004
Touchdown
4:41 PM CDT (21:41 UTC)
Path length
11.5 miles (18.5 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Counties
Yell and Pope counties
Touchdown point
35.170, -93.200
Lift-off point
35.130, -93.050
Record number
47

What the Weather Service recorded

A weak tornado tracked from eastern Logan County into northern Yell County. As it entered Yell County, the tornado gradually weakened, with some trees knocked down. The tornado dissipated 4 to 5 miles west of Dardanelle.

As one weak tornado dissipated in northern Yell County, another one formed 4 to 5 miles southwest of Dardanelle. The new tornado caused mostly tree damage, with trees downed or snapped. The tornado eventually tracked into southern Pope County.

A weak tornado moved from Yell County into southern Pope County. The tornado tracked through the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, and pushed over several trees. The tornado dissipated a little over 8 miles south of Pottsville.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Apr 21, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
230 PM CDT WED APR 21 2004

.DISCUSSION...
A WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT. THIS WILL SEND A SERIES
OF SHORT WAVES TOWARDS ARKANSAS. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS MANY AREAS OF
ARKANSAS TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THERE IS A MODERATE
RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN SECTIONS TONIGHT
THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY...THEN THE AREA OF MODERATE RISK GROWS TO
COVER MOST OF ARKANSAS THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE IS
ALSO A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE SURROUNDING THE MODERATE RISK AREA
WHICH COVERS ALL OF ARKANSAS FOR DAY 1 AND MOST OF THE STATE ON DAY
2. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BY DAY 3.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
LITTLE ROCK AR    60  77  63  75 /  60  40  40  40
HARRISON AR       55  69  56  68 /  80  50  60  60
HOT SPRINGS AR    61  76  63  75 /  60  30  40  40
PINE BLUFF AR     62  78  64  79 /  50  30  30  40
MOUNTAIN HOME AR  57  70  57  70 /  70  50  60  60
MONTICELLO AR     63  79  65  81 /  50  30  20  30
SEARCY AR         60  77  61  75 /  70  40  40  40
MOUNT IDA AR      60  75  63  74 /  60  40  40  50
RUSSELLVILLE AR   60  74  60  74 /  70  40  40  50
&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&

38
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 21, 11:08 AM CDT, 5 hours 33 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1108 AM CDT WED APR 21 2004

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-221000-
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-
1108 AM CDT WED APR 21 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
ARKANSAS TONIGHT.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REMAINDER OF
ARKANSAS TONIGHT.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH
CENTRAL ARKANSAS THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS...AND WILL WEAKEN
AS THEY PUSH INTO THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. THERE WILL BE A LULL LATER
THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOP TONIGHT.

A SYSTEM ALOFT WILL HEAD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON.
THE SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH A DRY LINE IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...OR A
BOUNDARY SEPARATING MOIST AIR TO ITS EAST FROM MUCH DRIER AIR TO ITS
WEST. THE INTERACTION WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS
THUNDERSTORMS...WITH SEVERE STORMS LIKELY.

STORMS THAT DEVELOP IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL TRACK INTO
WESTERN ARKANSAS TONIGHT. STORMS THAT BECOME SEVERE WILL PRODUCE
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHEAST...AND WILL ARRIVE IN THE
NORTHERN COUNTIES AFTER MIDNIGHT. WITH A STALLED FRONT NEAR THE
ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI BORDER...THE FRONT WILL ACT AS A FOCUS FOR
HEAVY RAINFALL. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN MAY OCCUR...WITH LOCALLY
HEAVIER AMOUNTS.

THE REGION MOST PRONE TO SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT
INCLUDES AREAS NORTH AND WEST OF MENA...MORRILTON AND HARDY.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS ARKANSAS...THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MORE SCATTERED
WITH LESS OF A POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN.
HOWEVER...ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS MAY STILL OCCUR...WITH MAINLY LARGE
HAIL POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

STORMS THAT DEVELOP TONIGHT WILL EXIT THE STATE INTO MISSOURI
THURSDAY MORNING. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER LULL THURSDAY
AFTERNOON...WITH MORE STORMS IN THE FORECAST THURSDAY NIGHT.

THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL NOT CHANGE THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. A
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN STALLED ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. GIVEN
THIS...STORMS THAT DEVELOP THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK WILL BE MOST
LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.

THE STORMS THAT ARE EXPECTED WILL OCCUR MAINLY AT NIGHT...WITH
STORMS MENTIONED THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY NIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER
WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY...WITH AREAS OF HEAVY TO EXCESSIVE
RAINFALL. FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR IN SOME SPOTS.

THE PATTERN WILL FINALLY CHANGE THIS WEEKEND. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH
THROUGH THE REGION FROM THE WEST SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...WITH
COOLER AND DRIER AIR TO FOLLOW MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT IN NORTHERN AND
WESTERN ARKANSAS.

46

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 21, 1:03 PM CDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
103 PM CDT WED APR 21 2004

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

0715 AM     LIGHTNING        CONWAY                  35.09N 92.45W
04/21/2004                   FAULKNER           AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            *** 1 FATAL *** 17 YEAR-OLD MALE WAITING FOR A BUS WAS
            STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. TIME OF EVENT IS APPROXIMATE.

&&

28
Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:28 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
428 PM CDT WED APR 21 2004

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

0312 PM     HAIL             CAULKSVILLE             35.30N 93.87W
04/21/2004  1.00 INCH        LOGAN              AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0400 PM     HAIL             NEW SPADRA              35.43N 93.52W
04/21/2004  1.00 INCH        JOHNSON            AR   EMERGENCY MNGR

0403 PM     HAIL             NEW BLAINE              35.28N 93.42W
04/21/2004  2.75 INCH        LOGAN              AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

28

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

9.7 hours before the tornado, 204 km from the path. April 21, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2004-04-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 297 joules per kilogram, CIN -107, lifted condensation level 855 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2004-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 50 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
297 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-107 J/kg
Surface CAPE
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-7 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z

2.3 hours after it, 204 km from the path. April 22, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2004-04-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 91 joules per kilogram, CIN -91, lifted condensation level 1996 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2004-04-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 50 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
91 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Surface CAPE
202 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1996 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
8.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Russellville Municipal Airport (RUE), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2004 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 21, 2004

4 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 214:13 PM CDTF1Logan, AR12.550
April 216:29 PM CDTF1Creek, OK1.0600$50,000
April 217:26 PM CDTF0Ellis, OK0.330
April 217:28 PM CDTF0Ellis, OK1.0200

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.