Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2005
F1 tornado, Ballard, Arkansas, November 27, 2005
This F1 tornado ran 0.4 miles across Sharp County on November 27, 2005, touching down at 8:01 PM CST and reaching 100 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
- 8:01 PM CST (02:01 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.4 miles (0.6 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Sharp County
- Touchdown point
- 36.230, -91.680
- Lift-off point
- 36.230, -91.670
- Record number
- 594
What the Weather Service recorded
A weak tornado moved out of Izard County and passed across the extreme northwest corner of Sharp County northwest of the town of Ballard. The only damage noted along the track of the tornado were numerous trees that were blown down. The tornado continued moving to the northeast into Fulton County.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
13 minutes of warning. NWS LZK issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:48 UTC, 13 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:23 UTC and running to 04:33 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 UTC | 12:00 UTC | Lake Wind Advisory | LZK |
| 00:23 UTC | 04:33 UTC | Tornado Watch | LZK |
| 01:48 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LZK |
| 02:19 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK |
| 02:50 UTC | 04:45 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | LZK |
| 03:20 UTC | 04:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm 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 00:59 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
2.0 hours before the tornado, 204 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
10.0 hours after it, 204 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 radar
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 164 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:06 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Mountain View | Stone, AR | |
| 02:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pleasant Grove | Stone, AR | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 14 FROM ST. JAMES TO PLEASANT GROVE AND MARCELLA. |
| 02:15 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Horseshoe Bend | Sharp, AR | COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED TORNADO TOUCH DOWN ON IZARD...SHARP COUNTY LINE. HOUSE TRAILERS DAMAGED...AND BARNS BLOWN DOWN...WITH TREES DOWN ON HOUSES. |
| 02:30 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Horseshoe Bend | Sharp, AR | COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED TORNADO TOUCH DOWN ON IZARD...SHARP COUNTY LINE. HOUSE TRAILERS DAMAGED...AND BARNS BLOWN DOWN...WITH TREES DOWN ON HOUSES. |
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 | 6:26 PM CST | F1 | Pulaski, AR | 2.2 | 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 | 8:02 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.