Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2008

EF1 tornado, Rosston, Arkansas, May 10, 2008

This EF1 tornado ran 2.4 miles across Nevada County on May 10, 2008, touching down at 9:32 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

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 mph

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    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
EF1
Date
May 10, 2008
Touchdown
9:32 PM CDT (02:32 UTC)
Lifted
9:35 PM CDT (02:35 UTC)
On the ground
3 minutes
Path length
2.4 miles (3.8 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Nevada County
Touchdown point
33.582, -93.312
Lift-off point
33.566, -93.276
Record number
0805102032-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A very unstable and moist airmass was in place across southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas, northeast Texas and northern Louisiana the afternoon of May 10th. A strong upper level trough was present across the central plains and the southern extent of this trough was located across southern Oklahoma and southern Arkansas. A dry line moved eastward across north central Texas and southern Oklahoma during the afternoon but stalled just east of the interstate 35 corridor|of central and north Texas. A strong cold front eventually caught up with the dry line from the northwest and severe thunderstorms erupted at the dry line, cold front merger across southeastern Oklahoma. Storms migrated eastward through the night of the 10th with large hail...damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes noted across portions of the region.

AN EF1 tornado with wind speeds between 90 and 100 mph touched down briefly in a heavily wooded area along CR 36 about 2 miles west southwest of Rosston. The tornado then moved east southeast through a mainly wooded area before lifting 1 mile south of Rosston just east of U.S. 371. Over the path...several oaks and pine trees were uprooted or snapped.

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

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 00:56 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.

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 May 10, 8:58 PM CDT, 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 8:58 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 12:00 PM CDT, 9 hours 32 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1200 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-TXZ096-
097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-111100-
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 SAT MAY 10 2008

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

A COLD FRONT...ACCOMPANIED BY A DRY LINE...WILL MOVE INTO
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. WITH A WARM...
MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...AND THE
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT OF A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH...THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK THAT STORMS WILL
BECOME SEVERE ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE MIDDLE OF
NEXT WEEK AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE FOUR STATE
REGION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER...HAM RADIO OPERATOR...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TODAY AND OVERNIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 10, 8:34 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
834 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

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

0810 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     WINTHROP                33.83N 94.35W
05/10/2008                   LITTLE RIVER       AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

MBERRY
Local storm report, May 10, 8:46 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
846 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

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

0830 PM     HAIL             BEN LOMOND              33.83N 94.11W
05/10/2008  E2.50 INCH       SEVIER             AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            HAIL FELL ALONG HWY 27 JUST WEST OF THE HOWARD COUNTY
            LINE.

&&

MBERRY
Local storm report, May 10, 8:55 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
855 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

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

0835 PM     HAIL             WILTON                  33.74N 94.15W
05/10/2008  E1.75 INCH       LITTLE RIVER       AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

MBERRY
Local storm report, May 10, 9:15 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 10, 9:16 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 10, 9:28 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
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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), 00:00Z

2.5 hours before the tornado, 129 km from the path. May 11, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2008-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2721 joules per kilogram, CIN -14, lifted condensation level 833 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 2008-05-11The 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 162 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 54 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2721 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3517 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
833 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
199 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.5
Supercell composite
13.4
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Camden (CDH), 49 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), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:30 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 2008 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 10, 2008

36 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 101:28 PM CDTEF0Washington, AR0.150
May 105:03 PM CDTEF2Pittsburg, OK8.2200$500,000
May 105:15 PM CDTEF0Labette, KS0.350
May 105:19 PM CDTEF0McIntosh, OK0.150
May 105:19 PM CDTEF0Labette, KS1.060
May 105:19 PM CDTEF0Cherokee, KS2.0150$10,000
May 105:20 PM CDTEF4Picher–Neosho tornado, Oklahoma and Missouri75.51,76021350$61 million
May 105:21 PM CDTEF0Pittsburg, OK0.150
May 105:25 PM CDTEF0Pittsburg, OK0.575
May 105:25 PM CDTEF0Mayes, OK0.150
May 105:34 PM CDTEF0Latimer, OK5.5100
May 105:42 PM CDTEF2Pittsburg, OK19.05804$1.2 million
May 105:48 PM CDTEF1Ottawa, OK2.3200
May 106:05 PM CDTEF2Pushmataha, OK3.5100$75,000
May 106:08 PM CDTEF1Jasper, MO3.0440110$1.0 million
May 106:30 PM CDTEF1Pushmataha, OK1.5200
May 106:35 PM CDTEF1Pushmataha, OK0.5100
May 106:35 PM CDTEF1Benton, AR1.5100$100,000
May 106:58 PM CDTEF0Barry, MO3.8800
May 107:05 PM CDTEF0McCurtain, OK0.450
May 107:14 PM CDTEF1White, AR9.2350$25,000
May 107:42 PM CDTEF0White, AR0.08
May 107:47 PM CDTEF1Lonoke, AR2.7400
May 107:51 PM CDTEF0Franklin, AR0.150
May 107:55 PM CDTEF1Sevier, AR1.5100$250,000
May 107:57 PM CDTEF1Woodruff, AR10.2500$90,000
May 107:57 PM CDTEF3Arkansas, AR14.11,3209$75 million
May 108:26 PM CDTEF1Monroe, AR4.4700$25,000
May 109:04 PM CDTEF0Hempstead, AR1.050$5,000
May 109:33 PM CDTEF1Quitman, MS0.330$25,000
May 1010:15 PM CDTEF1Tallahatchie, MS8.71002$185,000
May 1011:00 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, AL1.6250$100,000
May 1011:18 PM CDTEF1Marion, AL25.5400$100,000
May 1011:59 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, AL1.0250$5,000
May 1012:27 AM CDTEF1Walker, AL9.3400$20,000
May 1012:37 AM CDTEF2Walker, AL13.5330$155,000

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.