Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2012

EF0 tornado, Efay, Arkansas, March 19, 2012

This EF0 tornado ran 1.0 miles across Washington County on March 19, 2012, touching down at 10:20 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $5,000 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 19, 2012
Touchdown
10:20 PM CDT (03:20 UTC)
Lifted
10:21 PM CDT (03:21 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
1.0 miles (1.6 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
County
Washington County
Touchdown point
36.085, -94.138
Lift-off point
36.090, -94.121
Record number
1203192120-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A cold front pushed into the region igniting thunderstorms on the 19th. These storms evolved into a large complex as they approached northwestern Arkansas. The line of storms produced a couple tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and flash flooding as it moved through the region.

A tornado snapped large tree limbs and produced minor damage to a couple homes and the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Mission Boulevard.

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

The warnings

23 minutes of warning. NWS TSA issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:57 UTC, 23 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:53 UTC and running to 04:20 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:00 UTC20:51 UTCFlash Flood WatchTSA
18:00 UTC20:46 UTCFlood WatchTSA
18:00 UTC21:00 UTCWind AdvisoryTSA
21:20 UTC23:53 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchTSA
23:53 UTC04:20 UTCTornado WatchTSA
02:41 UTC08:30 UTCFlash Flood WarningTSA
02:44 UTC03:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSA
02:57 UTC03:30 UTCTornado WarningTSA
03:41 UTC04:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSA
03:47 UTC05:45 UTCFlood AdvisoryTSA
07:05 UTC19:00 UTCFlash Flood WarningTSA
18:55 UTC03:00 UTCFlash Flood WarningTSA

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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. 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

3.3 hours before the tornado, 95 km from the path. March 20, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2012-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 173 joules per kilogram, CIN -17, lifted condensation level 1207 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 2012-03-20The 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 221 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 38 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
173 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Surface CAPE
482 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1207 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
369 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.0
0-3 km lapse rate
6.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

8.7 hours after it, 95 km from the path. March 20, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2012-03-20Temperature 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 -79518, lifted condensation level 660 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2012-03-20The 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 -85 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 68 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79518 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
660 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
439 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Fayetteville/Drake (FYV), 10 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
01:53 UTC7158130° 17 kt271006.8
02:53 UTC7157150° 16 kt321007.5
03:12 UTC71.657.2160° 16 kt251007.8VCTS -RA
03:24 UTC60.853.6260° 15 kt351010.5VCTS -RA
03:31 UTC57.255.4250° 8 kt231011.2VCTS +RA BR
03:41 UTC55.455.4200° 3 kt1010.8+TSRA BR
03:51 UTC55.455.40° 0 kt1010.2-TSRA BR
03:53 UTC56550° 0 kt1009.8-TSRA BR
04:30 UTC55.455.480° 3 kt1010.2RA BR
04:53 UTC56560° 0 kt1009.8-RA
05:05 UTC55.455.460° 5 kt1009.5RA

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

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 03:20 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)ReportWhereCountyRemark
03:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGChesterCrawford, ARTREES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED.
03:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGFayettevilleWashington, AREAST SIDE OF FAYETTEVILLE...DAMAGE TO A ROOF...CONSTRUCTION TRAILERS DESTROYED...SHED DESTROYED.
03:15 UTCFLASH FLOODFayettevilleWashington, ARSOUTH DINSMORE TRAIL CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER.
03:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGFayettevilleWashington, ARLARGE LIMBS DOWN...DAMAGE TO THE CART HOLDERS AT A WALMART ON EAST SIDE OF TOWN.
04:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 N Eureka SpringsCarroll, ARSEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN ON HIGHWAY 23.
05:00 UTCFLASH FLOODFayettevilleWashington, ARFRISCO AVE WAS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER BETWEEN PROSPECT ADN DOUBLAS.
05:20 UTCFLASH FLOODJohnsonWashington, ARBALL STREET CLOSED AFTER MIDNIGHT DUE TO HIGH WATER.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2012 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 19, 2012

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 196:55 AM CDTEF0Jewell, KS0.840$50,000
March 196:25 PM CDTEF0Waseca, MN6.5100$350,000
March 197:50 PM CDTEF2Medina, TX3.5440
March 198:05 PM CDTEF1Medina, TX7.050
March 198:20 PM CDTEF0Sequoyah, OK0.150
March 198:22 PM CDTEF2Bexar, TX5.01004
March 199:52 PM CDTEF1Crawford, AR13.0400$2,000
March 1912:55 AM CDTEF0Bexar, TX0.810
March 1912:59 AM CDTEF0Bexar, TX0.310

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.