Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2015
EF0 tornado, Bull Shoals Lake Wes, Arkansas, March 24, 2015
This EF0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Marion County on March 24, 2015, touching down at 7:11 PM CDT and reaching 30 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.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 24, 2015
- Touchdown
- 7:11 PM CDT (00:11 UTC)
- Lifted
- 7:12 PM CDT (00:12 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
- Path width
- 30 yards (27 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Marion County
- Touchdown point
- 36.459, -92.852
- Lift-off point
- 36.456, -92.841
- Record number
- 1503241811-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A frontal boundary stalled over southern Missouri and northern Arkansas on the 24th, and thunderstorms developed during the evening hours as a storm system tracked along this front. This frontal boundary remained nearly stationary into the 25th as well, with additional thunderstorms developing on the evening hours of the 25th. Several reports of large hail and wind damage were observed, as well as a brief water spout on Bull Shoals Lake.
A water spout was observed by the Emergency Manager of Marion County over Bull Shoals Lake.
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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Mar 24, 6:30 PM CDT, 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 6:30 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 630 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015 .AVIATION... TSRA MOVING INTO NORTHERN ARKANSAS...AND HAVE A COUPLE OF HOURS THIS EVENING BEFORE STORMS WILL DIMINISH. DID INCLUDE VCSH FOR WESTERN SITES THIS EVENING...BUT NOT CONFIDENT IN TSRA TO HOLD TOGETHER. DID INCLUDE MVFR ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH AFTER 25/09Z...LIFTING AFTER SUNRISE. BREEZY SOUTH WINDS DURING THE DAY...AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT ARRIVING SHORTLY AFTER THIS TAF CYCLE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 243 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT DESPITE SOME LIGHT SHOWERS AND EVEN AN OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACROSS THE NORTH TODAY...TEMPERATURES WARMED NICELY AROUND THE NATURAL STATE. WE HAVE SEEN DEWPOINTS BEGIN TO RISE A BIT AROUND THE STATE...WITH READINGS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S ACROSS WESTERN AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. SURFACE LOW...CURRENTLY IS LOCATED JUST TO THE NE OF TULSA...WITH UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE LOCATED A BIT TO THE NW. HIRES MODELS GENERALLY AGREE THAT THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT MAKE IT INTO THE CWA UNTIL AFTER 00Z...WITH THUNDERSTORMS WEAKENING BY 06Z. THE 00Z WRF MODEL...DID SHOW A STRONG LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING QUICKLY THROUGH THE STATE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...BUT DO NOT EXPECT THIS MODEL SOLUTION TO COME TO FRUITION. EXPECT THE BIGGEST IMPACTS FROM THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO BE NW OF A LINE FROM POLK COUNTY TO FULTON COUNTY...WITH GENERALLY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. WITH DIURNAL FACTORS SOMEWHAT AGAINST THE CWA SEEING WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER...THE INCREASED DEWPOINTS AND INSTABILITY WILL LIKELY HELP TO PROLONG STRONG STORMS ACROSS WEST AND SW ARKANSAS. ROUND TWO OF SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL EXIST ON WEDNESDAY. THE 12Z MODELS HAVE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN THE TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM...WITH PRECIP NOT MOVING INTO THE STATE UNTIL AFTER 00Z. IT CONTINUES TO LOOK THAT THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE POST FRONTAL AND SOMEWHAT LIMIT THE SEVERE POTENTIAL. HOWEVER...DO EXPECT A FEW STORMS PRODUCING HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THIS STRONG COLD FRONT FINALLY PUSHES THROUGH THE STATE. 12Z MODELS HAVE COME BACK A BIT WETTER WITH HEAVY RAIN A BIT FURTHER TO THE NORTH. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE WATCHED IN FUTURE FORECASTS TO SEE IF ANY KIND OF FLOOD WATCH WILL BE NEEDED ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. BEHIND THIS FRONT A MUCH MORE HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MORNING WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL. DID RAISE MORNING LOW TEMPS A FEW DEGREES WITH THIS FORECAST...WITH MORE CLOUD COVER THAN INITIALLY FORECAST...BUT STILL WENT BELOW GUIDANCE. THE HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN WILL SEE A LARGE TROUGH ACROSS ARKANSAS DURING THIS SAME TIME PERIOD...WITH A FEW PIECES OF ENERGY RIDING AROUND THE LOW. THIS WILL BRING A RETURN OF POPS TO THE FORECAST. WITH THESE LOW TEMPERATURES IN PLACE...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME SNOW...AND THUS ADDED LIGHT SNOW INTO THE FORECAST WITH NO ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED. HOWEVER...WITH THESE COLD TEMPERATURES A FROST AND FREEZE MAY BE POSSIBLE TO ANY TENDER VEGETATION THAT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN PLANTED. LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ARKANSAS WILL BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF NW FLOW ALOFT TO START THE LONG TERM PERIOD. DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY THEN THE SOUTHEAST US. TEMPS INITIALLY WILL BE COOL BUT WILL MODERATE TO AROUND OR ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AS THE WEEKEND PROGRESSES. RAIN CHANCES WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST BY THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES EAST AWAY FROM THE AREA. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH AN UPPER LOW APPROACHING ARKANSAS FROM THE WEST WILL PROVIDE RAIN CHANCES FOR THE START OF NEXT WEEK. && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BAXTER-BOONE- CLEBURNE-CONWAY-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD- JACKSON-JOHNSON-LOGAN-LONOKE-MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON- PERRY-POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE- VAN BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL. && AVIATION...58
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 24, 5:00 AM CDT, 14 hours 11 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-251000- ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND- CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING- INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE- MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE- PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE- WOODRUFF-YELL- 500 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WEATHER SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND BRING SCATTERED CONVECTION TO MAINLY NORTHERN ARKANSAS. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON TO EVENING. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL. ALSO WINDS WILL BE ELEVATED TODAY FROM THE SOUTH OVER MUCH OF ARKANSAS...ESPECIALLY PARTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. SOUTH WINDS FROM 10 TO 25 MPH WITH SOME GUSTS TO NEAR 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AND A LAKE WIND ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND PARTS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO ARKANSAS LATE WEDNESDAY AND ON THURSDAY...AND BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MUCH OF THE STATE. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY BE SEEN OVER NORTHERN ARKANSAS. ONCE AGAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM ANY SEVERE STORM. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH OUT OF THE STATE LATER ON THURSDAY. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED...BUT COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL FILTER INTO THE REGION. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS...SOME TEMPERATURES WILL LOWER TO AROUND FREEZING ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE ISOLATED NATURE OF ANY SEVERE STORMS. THIS MAY CHANGE IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 59
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 24, 6:33 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
633 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015
ARZ003-004-250000-
BOONE AR-MARION AR-
633 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN BOONE AND NORTHWESTERN
MARION COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CDT...
AT 630 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ROBERSON HOLLOW...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF
GREEN FOREST...MOVING EAST AT 65 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
WININGTON... WILLIS... SELF...
ROBERSON HOLLOW... OMAHA... MYRTLE...
LEAD HILL... LAKEWAY... DODD CITY...
DIAMOND CITY... SOUTH LEAD HILL... PEEL...
MONARCH... BURLINGTON...
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.
LAT...LON 3632 9276 3635 9330 3650 9330 3650 9329
3651 9275
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 273DEG 56KT 3646 9326
64Local storm report, Mar 24, 7:08 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
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</html>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
0.2 hours before the tornado, 98 km from the path. March 25, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1351 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1746 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1035 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 122 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 223 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.8
- Supercell composite
- 6.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.5 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
11.8 hours after it, 98 km from the path. March 25, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -92864 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2127 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 9 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -38 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 22 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.1 K/km
The surface observations
Flippin (Awos) (FLP), 29 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:11 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 2015 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are
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.