Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas · 2017

EF1 tornado, Crossroads to Pearson, Arkansas, March 1, 2017

From Crossroads to Pearson, this EF1 tornado ran 3.9 miles across Cleburne County on March 1, 2017, touching down at 2:33 AM CST and reaching 250 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $20,000 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 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
March 1, 2017
Touchdown
2:33 AM CST (08:33 UTC)
Lifted
2:38 AM CST (08:38 UTC)
On the ground
5 minutes
Path length
3.9 miles (6.3 km)
Path width
250 yards (229 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
County
Cleburne County
Touchdown point
35.462, -92.234
Lift-off point
35.458, -92.167
Record number
1703010233-01

The damage survey

16 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LZK, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 107 mph.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

A strong storm system brought a line of thunderstorms with several tornadoes on March 1, 2017.

Trees were blown down, uprooted, or snapped along the path of the tornado. A home had some windows blown out, and some roof damage. Several outbuildings were damaged.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 05:35 UTC and running to 10:18 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
21:40 UTC03:50 UTCTornado WatchLZK
00:00 UTC00:00 UTCLake Wind AdvisoryLZK
05:35 UTC10:18 UTCTornado WatchLZK
08:27 UTC09:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZK

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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:42 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

8.6 hours before the tornado, 215 km from the path. March 1, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2017-03-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1117 joules per kilogram, CIN -52, lifted condensation level 931 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 2017-03-01The 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 341 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 65 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
1117 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Surface CAPE
813 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
931 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
341 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
315 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.3
Supercell composite
8.2
0-3 km lapse rate
6.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

3.4 hours after it, 215 km from the path. March 1, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2017-03-01Temperature 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 -100240, lifted condensation level 613 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 2017-03-01The 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 -356 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 71 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-100240 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
613 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-356 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Clinton (CCA), 27 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
06:35 UTC69.862.6180° 5 kt1006.8
06:55 UTC69.862.6 4 kt1006.4
07:15 UTC69.862.6180° 6 kt1006.4
07:35 UTC69.864.4190° 6 kt1006.4
07:55 UTC71.664.4190° 9 kt161005.8TS
08:15 UTC71.664.4 5 kt111005.4VCTS
08:35 UTC57.253.6310° 12 kt371008.8TS
08:55 UTC5953.6260° 16 kt281009.5HZ
09:15 UTC60.853.6280° 7 kt191008.1-TSRA
09:35 UTC60.853.6200° 8 kt131007.5VCTS
09:55 UTC60.853.6 1007.1
10:15 UTC60.853.6 1007.5

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

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 08:33 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
08:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGGreenbrierFaulkner, ARTORE METAL ROOF BLOWN OFF BARN...REMOVED STRUCTURE FROM PORCH AND THREW IT INTO THE TREES...TORE PART OF SIDING OFF OF HOUSE...PICKED UP AND BLEW TRAMPOLINE AND BASKETBALL GOAL INTO TREE LINE. WINDS ESTIMATED OVER 80 MPH
08:05 UTCTSTM WND GST 682 W DennardVan Buren, AR68 MPH WIND GUST REPORTED.
08:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGJerusalemConway, ARTREE DOWNS AND DAMAGE TO HOMES REPORTED IN JERUSALEM AND CLEVELAND.
08:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGCenter RidgeConway, AREMERGENCY MANAGERS REPORT SEVERAL HOMES AND MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED IN THE CENTER RIDGE AREA. ONE CAMPER WAS DESTROYED. SEVERAL TREES DOWN AS WELL.
08:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Nnw SouthsideVan Buren, ARMULTIPLE TREES DOWN AND OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED. SHINGLE DAMAGE TO HOUSES. SHEET METAL AND OTHER DEBRIS SCATTERED AROUND.
08:33 UTCTORNADO2 Ene FairbanksCleburne, ARTHIS TORNADO WAS RATED EF1, WITH WINDS CLOSE TO 100 MPH. THE TORNADO TRACKED 3.9 MILES, AND HAD A 250 YARD WIDTH. THE TORNADO AFFECTED THE CROSSROADS COMMUNITY.
08:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Nne DamascusVan Buren, ARROOF DAMAGE REPORTED TO A HOME.
08:46 UTCTSTM WND DMGHeber SpringsCleburne, ARSOCIAL MEDIA SHOWS A LARGE TREE HAS FALLEN THROUGH A HOUSE IN HEBER SPRINGS.
09:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 S SouthsideVan Buren, ARTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. A TREE WAS REPORTED ON A HOUSE.
09:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ssw SaladoIndependence, ARTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. A TREE WAS REPORTED ON A HOUSE.
09:17 UTCTSTM WND GST 601 W Blanchard Springs CStone, AR60 MPH WIND GUST OBSERVED AT THE BLANCHARD SPRINGS RAWS SITE.
09:23 UTCTSTM WND GST 602 N Bald KnobWhite, ARESTIMATED WIND GUST OF 60 MPH JUST NORTH OF BALD KNOB.
09:25 UTCTSTM WND GST 63AlcoStone, ARPERSONAL INSTRUMENT OWNED BY PUBLIC RECORDED 63 MPH WIND GUST.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2017 tornado in ArkansasEvery tornado in Arkansas since 1950Warnings in force in Arkansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 1, 2017

38 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 112:30 AM CSTEF0Dallas, MO1.0100$25,000
March 112:35 AM CSTEF1Butler, KY0.890$50,000
March 11:29 AM CSTEF1Johnson, AR0.1200$20,000
March 12:31 AM ESTEF0Highland, OH6.9250$30,000
March 12:40 AM ESTEF0Highland, OH4.5100$10,000
March 12:16 AM CSTEF1Conway, AR1.0250$30,000
March 12:18 AM CSTEF0Conway, AR1.150$40,000
March 13:38 AM ESTEF1Clermont, OH6.4150$400,000
March 13:13 AM CSTEF1Jackson, AR4.2200$30,000
March 13:20 AM CSTEF1Jackson, AR1.6125$100,000
March 15:00 AM ESTEF2Daviess, IN0.130$40,000
March 15:05 AM ESTEF2Daviess, IN1.530$65,000
March 14:08 AM CSTEF0Jackson, IL4.125$2,000
March 15:10 AM ESTEF1Daviess, IN0.030$35,000
March 15:30 AM ESTEF1Lawrence, IN0.240$22,000
March 15:37 AM ESTEF2Lawrence, IN0.7251$175,000
March 14:40 AM CSTEF1Mississippi, MO15.2200$400,000
March 15:41 AM ESTEF1Washington, IN5.8100$150,000
March 15:45 AM ESTEF2Jackson, IN0.350$45,000
March 14:51 AM CSTEF0Dyer, TN3.750$50,000
March 16:04 AM ESTEF1Clark, IN0.320$200,000
March 16:05 AM ESTEF1Scott, IN2.112510$250,000
March 15:25 AM CSTEF2Graves, KY1.6200$170,000
March 16:36 AM ESTEF1Henry, KY1.1200$100,000
March 17:03 AM ESTEF0Hamilton, OH1.1350$250,000
March 17:39 AM ESTEF1Highland, OH2.2150$50,000
March 16:57 AM CSTEF1Logan, KY1.675$100,000
March 17:00 AM CSTEF1Williamson, TN10.5250$7.3 million
March 18:16 AM ESTEF1Pike, OH0.6125$30,000
March 17:17 AM CSTEF0Davidson, TN3.1100$55,000
March 17:24 AM CSTEF1Warren, KY2.6125$250,000
March 17:37 AM CSTEF0Wilson, TN3.3100$15,000
March 17:40 AM CSTEF1Wilson, TN7.2200$110,000
March 17:51 AM CSTEF1Smith, TN3.9200$40,000
March 18:04 AM CSTEF1Putnam, TN7.6150$25,000
March 19:07 AM ESTEF1Meigs, OH0.1300$80,000
March 18:35 AM CSTEF1Putnam, TN0.190$10,000
March 14:27 PM ESTEF1Murray, GA2.9150$100,000

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.