Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2007

EF0 tornado, Lewisville to Patmos, Arkansas, March 27, 2007

From Lewisville to Patmos, this EF0 tornado ran 5.0 miles across Lafayette and Hempstead counties on March 27, 2007, touching down at 2:14 PM CDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $80,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

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

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

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

  3. EF2111 to 135 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. EF3136 to 165 mph

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

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

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

  6. EF5over 200 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
EF0
Date
March 27, 2007
Touchdown
2:14 PM CDT (19:14 UTC)
Lifted
2:30 PM CDT (19:30 UTC)
On the ground
16 minutes
Path length
5.0 miles (8.0 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$80,000
Counties
Lafayette and Hempstead counties
Touchdown point
33.422, -93.666
Lift-off point
33.520, -93.594
Record number
0703271314-01

What the Weather Service recorded

An upper level storm system moved across the region during the late morning...afternoon and evening hours of 03/27. Strong winds aloft allowed supercell thunderstorms to develop...some of which produced tornadoes...strong and damaging wind gusts as well as large hail.

A line of severe thunderstorms spawned a tornado along the northern edge of the line of thunderstorms. The tornado touched down northwest of Lewisville, Arkansas with damage consisting of a chicken house and several trees that were snapped and uprooted. The tornado was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Damage Indicator (DI): Small barns or outbuildings. Degree of Damage (DOD): Loss of wood or metal roof panels.

This was a continuation of the tornado which first touched down in northern Lafayette County. Damage consisted of several trees uprooted and damage to a chicken house. Damage occurred on Hwy 355 about 1 mile east of Hwy 29. A porch was torn off one brick home and one home suffered shingle damage. An 18-wheeler and a cattle trailer was overturned as well. The tornado was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Damage Indicator (DI): Small barns and outbuildings. Degree of Damage (DOD): Loss of wood or metal roofs.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Mar 27, 10:40 AM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 10:40 AM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1040 AM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

.DISCUSSION...
WILL ISSUE ANOTHER SET OF ZONES ON A LATE MORNING UPDATE TO GET
THE POPS MORE IN LINE WITH THE TRACK OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM...WHICH IS CURRENTLY MOVING NORTHEAST OVER
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA. THE BEST INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER
EAST TEXAS AND NORTH LOUISIANA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH LARGE HAIL
THE MAIN THREAT WITH THIS SYSTEM. WILL MENTION SEVERE STORMS IN
THOSE AREAS...AS PREVIOUS ZONES HAD. NO OTHER CHANGES TO ZONES
EXPECTED ON THIS UPDATE.

&&

.AVIATION...
SCATTERED TSRA ACROSS NE TX/SE OK/SW AR EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE
WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE AID OF HEATING AS AN UPPER LEVEL
STORM SYSTEM PASSES OVERHEAD. WILL KEEP TEMPO TSRA GOING THROUGH
THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTN TAF PERIODS. IFR CEILINGS
CURRENTLY ACROSS NE TX SHOULD SLOWLY LIFT LATER THIS MORNING
OUTSIDE OF TSRA. IN THE WAKE OF THE STORM SYSTEM...SOUTH WINDS
CONTINUE WITH MVFR/IFR CEILINGS ONCE AGAIN LIKELY AREAWIDE LATE
TONIGHT THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS WED WITH SOME VSBY PROBLEMS ALSO
LIKELY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  72  62  85  62 /  60  20   0   0
MLU  78  63  84  63 /  60  30   0   0
DEQ  72  60  81  59 / 100  30   0   0
TXK  72  61  84  64 /  80  30   0   0
ELD  72  60  85  60 /  70  40   0   0
TYR  73  62  84  65 /  70  20   0   0
GGG  72  60  84  62 /  70  20   0   0
LFK  74  62  84  62 /  40  20   0   0

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...NONE.
LA...NONE.
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.
&&

03/13
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 27, 12:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1200 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-TXZ096-
097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-281100-
ANGELINA-BIENVILLE-BOSSIER-BOWIE-CADDO-CALDWELL-CAMP-CASS-CHEROKEE-
CLAIBORNE-COLUMBIA-DE SOTO-FRANKLIN-GRANT-GREGG-HARRISON-HEMPSTEAD-
HOWARD-JACKSON-LA SALLE-LAFAYETTE-LINCOLN-LITTLE RIVER-MARION-
MCCURTAIN-MILLER-MORRIS-NACOGDOCHES-NATCHITOCHES-NEVADA-OUACHITA-
PANOLA-RED RIVER LA-RED RIVER TX-RUSK-SABINE LA-SABINE TX-
SAN AUGUSTINE-SEVIER-SHELBY-SMITH-TITUS-UNION AR-UNION LA-UPSHUR-
WEBSTER-WINN-WOOD-
1200 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...NORTHEAST
TEXAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH OKLAHOMA AND
ARKANSAS...THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...THERE WILL BE A GOOD CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MOST OF THE AREA...THIS AFTERNOON. ANY
STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY
RAINFALL...HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES COULD ALSO
OCCUR...MAINLY IN FAR NORTHEAST TEXAS...NORTH LOUISIANA...AND SOUTH
ARKANSAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

THERE WILL BE A GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN FRIDAY AS A SECOND
STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE FOUR STATE AREA.  HOWEVER...NO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

THE ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS...SKYWARN NETWORKS...AND STORM
SPOTTERS...MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.

03

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:32 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:56 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
156 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

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

0151 PM     HAIL             BENTON                  32.69N 93.74W
03/27/2007  M1.00 INCH       BOSSIER            LA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

AS
Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:58 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
158 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

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

0150 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 N BENTON              32.72N 93.74W
03/27/2007                   BOSSIER            LA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MULTIPLE TREES DOWN NORTH OF BENTON ALONG HIGHWAY 3.

&&

KFALK
Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:06 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
206 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

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

0155 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BENTON                  32.69N 93.74W
03/27/2007                   BOSSIER            LA   AMATEUR RADIO

            TREE ON A HOUSE AT THE INTERSECTION OF OAK RIDGE AND OLD
            PLAIN DEALING STREETS IN BENTON.

&&

KFALK
Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:08 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
208 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

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

0145 PM     HAIL             PLAIN DEALING           32.91N 93.70W
03/27/2007  M1.75 INCH       BOSSIER            LA   AMATEUR RADIO

            GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN PLAIN DEALING.

&&

KFALK
Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:10 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
210 PM CDT TUE MAR 27 2007

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

0140 PM     TSTM WND DMG     STONEWALL               32.26N 93.82W
03/27/2007                   DE SOTO            LA   PUBLIC

            TREES DOWN ACROSS TOWN...POWER OUTAGES REPORTED.

&&

KFALK

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.

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), 12:00Z

7.2 hours before the tornado, 111 km from the path. March 27, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2007-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -85154, lifted condensation level 738 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2007-03-27The 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 160 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 45 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-85154 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
738 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), 00:00Z

4.8 hours after it, 111 km from the path. March 28, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2007-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1470 joules per kilogram, CIN -16, lifted condensation level 902 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2007-03-28The 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 185 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 43 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
1470 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1483 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
902 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
327 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
9.6
0-3 km lapse rate
6.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Texarkana Regional/Webb (TXK), 34 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 Shreveport radar (KSHV), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:14 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 2007 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 27, 2007

3 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 2711:31 AM CDTEF1Harrison, TX10.050$20,000
March 2712:40 PM CDTEF0Harrison, TX6.025
March 272:35 PM CDTEF1Webster Parish, LA8.075$25,000

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.