Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2005
F1 tornado, Roland, Arkansas, November 27, 2005
This F1 tornado ran 2.2 miles across Pulaski County on November 27, 2005, touching down at 6:26 PM CST and reaching 25 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.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- November 27, 2005
- Touchdown
- 6:26 PM CST (00:26 UTC)
- Path length
- 2.2 miles (3.5 km)
- Path width
- 25 yards (23 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Pulaski County
- Touchdown point
- 34.820, -92.730
- Lift-off point
- 34.820, -92.720
- Record number
- 580
What the Weather Service recorded
A weak tornado moved into western Pulaski County from eastern Perry County. The tornado badly damaged an old auto service garage and damaged the roofs of several houses. Trees were also downed. The tornado dissipated 14.5 miles west-southwest of Roland.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
41 minutes of warning. NWS LZK issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:45 UTC, 41 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:30 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:55 UTC and running to 04:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 UTC | 12:00 UTC | Lake Wind Advisory | LZK |
| 20:55 UTC | 04:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | LZK |
| 23:31 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | LZK |
| 23:45 UTC | 00:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | LZK |
| 00:30 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | LZK |
| 00:36 UTC | 01:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | LZK |
| 01:41 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK |
| 02:54 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | LZK |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:59 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
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), 00:00Z
0.4 hours before the tornado, 251 km from the path. November 28, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 70 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -44 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 162 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1004 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 80 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 26 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 196 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 204 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.3 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
11.6 hours after it, 251 km from the path. November 28, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 939 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 121 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.9 K/km
The surface observations
Little Rock/Adams (LIT), 46 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:53 UTC | 69 | 61 | 130° 10 kt | 996.6 | HZ | |
| 23:53 UTC | 68 | 62 | 150° 13 kt | 997 | HZ | |
| 00:12 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 140° 15 kt | 996.6 | ||
| 00:53 UTC | 70 | 62 | 150° 16 kt | 27 | 995.3 | |
| 01:53 UTC | 72 | 61 | 180° 19 kt | 29 | 995.3 | |
| 02:22 UTC | 71.6 | 62.6 | 170° 14 kt | 24 | 995.9 | TS |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:24 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.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N Royal | Garland, AR | DOCKS DESTROYED AND BOATS OVERTURNED AT BRADY MOUNTAIN MARINA. ALSO...REPORT OF PENNY SIZED HAIL. |
| 00:00 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Hot Springs Village | Garland, AR | |
| 00:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Perryville | Perry, AR | STRUCTURE DAMAGE TO HOUSE...PERSON TRAPPED IN HOME...AND WAS RESCUED BY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL. |
| 00:05 UTC | HAIL 1 | Adona | Perry, AR | |
| 00:13 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Hot Springs Village | Garland, AR | REPORTS OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE ON HIGHWAY 7. |
| 00:14 UTC | HAIL 1 | Morrilton | Conway, AR | |
| 00:15 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Plumerville | Conway, AR | *** 1 FATAL *** ON INTERSTATE 40 AT MILE MARKER 111...LUMBERYARD HIT BY TORNADO. LUMBER COVERING BOTH SIDES OF I-40. CARS TURNED OVER ON I-40. STATE POLICE CONFIRM ONE FATALITY DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE TORNADO. CAR TRAVEL |
| 00:15 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Plumerville | Conway, AR | ON INTERSTATE 40 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 110 AND 111...LUMBERYARD HIT BY TORNADO. LUMBER COVERING BOTH SIDE OF I-40...CARS TURNED OVER ON I-40. |
| 00:53 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cherry Hill | Perry, AR | STRUCTURE DAMAGE TO HOMES...AND TREES DOWN. HIGHWAY 60 IS BLOCKED. |
| 01:06 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Greenbrier | Faulkner, AR | ALSO...POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED. |
| 01:30 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 Se Conway | Faulkner, AR | |
| 01:33 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Ferndale | Pulaski, AR | |
| 02:12 UTC | HAIL 1 | Alexander | Saline, AR | |
| 02:20 UTC | HAIL 1 | 7 W Downtown Little Roc | Pulaski, AR | ON WEST MARKHAM AND BOWMAN. |
| 02:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Morgan | Pulaski, AR | POWER LINES DOWN. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2005 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of November 27, 2005
64 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 27 | 1:48 PM CST | F0 | Marion, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 1:48 PM CST | F0 | Marion, KS | 13.0 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 1:50 PM CST | F0 | Marion, KS | 2.0 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| November 27 | 2:04 PM CST | F0 | Marion, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 2:05 PM CST | F0 | Morris, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 2:12 PM CST | F1 | Morris, KS | 20.0 | 400 | $250,000 | ||
| November 27 | 2:32 PM CST | F0 | Dickinson, KS | 1.5 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 2:32 PM CST | F0 | Morris, KS | 6.0 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 2:35 PM CST | F0 | Lyon, KS | 1.0 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| November 27 | 2:48 PM CST | F0 | Montgomery, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 2:58 PM CST | F0 | Morris, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 3:09 PM CST | F1 | Geary, KS | 2.0 | 300 | $900,000 | ||
| November 27 | 3:15 PM CST | F0 | Geary, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 3:21 PM CST | F0 | Geary, KS | 2.0 | 150 | $40,000 | ||
| November 27 | 3:28 PM CST | F0 | Riley, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 3:32 PM CST | F0 | Riley, KS | 0.3 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| November 27 | 3:40 PM CST | F1 | Yell, AR | 4.5 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 3:49 PM CST | F0 | Riley, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 3:57 PM CST | F0 | Yell, AR | 2.7 | 40 | |||
| November 27 | 4:06 PM CST | F1 | Neosho, KS | 6.0 | 80 | $120,000 | ||
| November 27 | 4:22 PM CST | F0 | Allen, KS | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 4:25 PM CST | F1 | Pike, AR | 13.8 | 40 | 1 | ||
| November 27 | 4:42 PM CST | F1 | Montgomery, AR | 3.2 | 40 | |||
| November 27 | 4:49 PM CST | F1 | Montgomery, AR | 4.5 | 40 | |||
| November 27 | 4:56 PM CST | F1 | Garland, AR | 3.5 | 40 | |||
| November 27 | 5:10 PM CST | F1 | Garland, AR | 1.2 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 5:19 PM CST | F0 | Jasper, MO | 0.0 | 75 | |||
| November 27 | 5:20 PM CST | F2 | Hot Spring, AR | 4.2 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 5:23 PM CST | F1 | Van Buren, AR | 2.8 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 5:26 PM CST | F2 | Garland, AR | 13.8 | 100 | 1 | ||
| November 27 | 5:27 PM CST | F1 | Searcy, AR | 2.7 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Garland, AR | 2.1 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 5:32 PM CST | F1 | Saline, AR | 6.1 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 5:37 PM CST | F2 | Conway, AR | 3.9 | 250 | |||
| November 27 | 5:41 PM CST | F3 | Perry, AR | 19.0 | 800 | $4.0 million | ||
| November 27 | 5:42 PM CST | F2 | Pope, AR | 2.3 | 250 | |||
| November 27 | 5:44 PM CST | F1 | Clay, MO | 11.0 | 75 | $1.2 million | ||
| November 27 | 5:45 PM CST | F2 | Conway, AR | 11.8 | 250 | |||
| November 27 | 5:59 PM CST | F1 | Ray, MO | 2.0 | 75 | $30,000 | ||
| November 27 | 6:00 PM CST | F3 | Conway, AR | 2.0 | 150 | |||
| November 27 | 6:09 PM CST | F3 | Conway, AR | 15.0 | 700 | 1 | 8 | |
| November 27 | 6:15 PM CST | F1 | Baxter, AR | 3.7 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 6:25 PM CST | F1 | Perry, AR | 0.8 | 25 | |||
| November 27 | 6:27 PM CST | F2 | Conway, AR | 6.1 | 600 | |||
| November 27 | 6:34 PM CST | F2 | Faulkner, AR | 2.6 | 400 | |||
| November 27 | 6:37 PM CST | F2 | Van Buren, AR | 13.1 | 400 | |||
| November 27 | 6:40 PM CST | F1 | Fulton, AR | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 6:42 PM CST | F1 | Ozark, MO | 1.0 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 6:46 PM CST | F1 | Howell, MO | 3.0 | 100 | 2 | $70,000 | |
| November 27 | 6:55 PM CST | F1 | Van Buren, AR | 3.7 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 6:56 PM CST | F1 | Howell, MO | 5.0 | 100 | 2 | $70,000 | |
| November 27 | 6:59 PM CST | F1 | Faulkner, AR | 7.7 | 75 | |||
| November 27 | 7:02 PM CST | F1 | Cleburne, AR | 2.7 | 50 | |||
| November 27 | 7:11 PM CST | F0 | Faulkner, AR | 4.0 | 40 | |||
| November 27 | 7:19 PM CST | F2 | Van Buren, AR | 0.8 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 7:20 PM CST | F2 | Cleburne, AR | 9.2 | 100 | 1 | ||
| November 27 | 7:47 PM CST | F0 | Cleburne, AR | 1.2 | 25 | |||
| November 27 | 7:55 PM CST | F1 | Izard, AR | 5.8 | 150 | |||
| November 27 | 8:01 PM CST | F1 | Sharp, AR | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| November 27 | 8:02 PM CST | F1 | Fulton, AR | 5.8 | 100 |
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.