March 31, 2023 - The Little Rock EF-3 Tornado

A detailed analysis of the EF-3 tornado that struck Little Rock, Arkansas on March 31, 2023

NWS Little Rock, AR

March 31-April 1, 2023: A Severe Weather Outbreak For The Record Books

The severe weather outbreak from March 31 - April 1, 2023 was a record setting event as a historic severe weather episode unfolded over portions of the Upper Midwest, Mid-South, and Southern U.S.

In the two-day period, 147 tornadoes would tear across these regions, including one EF-4 tornado and 11 EF-3 tornadoes. In addition to tornadoes, widespread severe wind and hail was prevalent with this event as well. The 147 confirmed tornadoes were the most tornadoes in an outbreak since the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak (359 tornadoes in the U.S.), and third all time for U.S. tornadoes in an outbreak: 1) April 25-28, 2011 (359); 2) April 3-4, 1974 (148); 3) March 31-April 1, 2023 (147). Unfortunately, 26 people were killed by severe weather during this event, and 211 more sustained injuries. The event would also go down as a billion dollar disaster, causing an estimated ~$5 billion in damages.

In the picture: The filtered local storm reports from 12Z 03/31/2023 to 12Z 04/01/2023 overlaid on the 20Z 03/31/2023 categorical convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center. Note that tornado reports do not indicate survey-confirmed tornadoes.

In the picture: The filtered local storm reports from 12Z 03/31/2023 to 12Z 04/01/2023 overlaid on the 20Z 03/31/2023 categorical convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center. Note that tornado reports do not indicate survey-confirmed tornadoes.

Recovering From a Disaster

Disasters, whether natural, technological, or human, inevitably provoke the human-desire for simple explanations that explain their occurrence. The successful community and individual recovery from a disaster, depends largely on the availability of simple explanations for the occurrence of an "inconceivable" event ( Taylor 1999 ).

This Story Map aims to not only provide a detailed summary of the meteorological events that unfolded on March 31, 2023, but to also provide the explanations to those who may be seeking them, in order to better understand why and how this particular natural disaster occurred.

The Evolving Forecast

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma is responsible for forecasting severe weather risks across the country for up to an 8 day period. The potential for severe weather across the Mid-South and Midwest was identified very early on in the Day 6 convective outlook, issued on March 26, 2023, with an initial 15% risk area (equivalent to a Slight Risk or 2/5 on the categorical risk levels). Generally, it takes reasonable agreement in model guidance and forecaster confidence to highlight severe weather risk outlooks in the 4 to 8 day range.

Here are some excerpts from the convective outlook discussions from the Day 6 outlook (March 26, 2023) up to the Day 1 outlook (March 31, 2023) to show how forecaster confidence evolved regarding the severe weather risk for March 31, 2023.

[Day 6 Outlook - March 26] ...Severe potential will increase markedly on Days 5-6/Thu-Fri from the southern/central Plains toward the Mid/Lower Mississippi Valley vicinity...

[Day 4 Outlook - March 28] ...A complex forecast scenario remains for Day 4/Friday, with a large area of severe potential expected from the Arklatex into the Mid-MS Valley......A bi-modal severe threat still appears possible, with one area of enhanced potential possible closer to the surface low, and another further south along the cold front in the Mid-South vicinity...

[Day 3 Outlook - March 29] ...Potentially intense and widespread severe thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon into the overnight hours across portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley and Mid-South vicinity, eastward to the Lower Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Damaging gusts and tornadoes will be the main hazards with this activity...

[Day 2 Outlook - March 30] ...Intense and widespread severe thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon into the overnight hours across portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley and Mid-South vicinity, eastward to the Lower Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Intense, damaging gusts and several tornadoes (some strong and long-track) are expected......A bi-modal regional outbreak of severe storms is expected on Friday from the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Mid-South...

[Day 1 Outlook - March 31 - 1630Z High Risk Upgrade] ...A dangerous severe weather outbreak is likely across a large portion of the central states this afternoon into tonight. Long-track, strong to potentially violent tornadoes are forecast across a broad region of the MS Valley. The propensity of model-supporting evidence and observational trends lends confidence in the upgrade to bimodal High Risks for the mid MS Valley and lower MS Valleys.

At the 1630Z Day 1 Outlook Update on March 31, two High Risk outlook areas were introduced in eastern Arkansas/northwestern Mississippi/far southwestern Tennessee, and the Iowa/Illinois/Missouri tri-state border region. This was the first High Risk convective outlook in Arkansas since April 27, 2014.

In the picture: The SPC categorical convective outlook over Arkansas for March 31, 2023 at the 1630Z (11:30 AM CDT) update.

In the picture: The SPC tornado risk outlook over Arkansas for March 31, 2023 at the 1630Z (11:30 AM CDT) update, highlighting a 30% (or greater) risk of tornadoes across portions of eastern central Arkansas.

What's the significance of a "High Risk"?

A few high risk severe weather outlooks may occur in a single year, and can be as seldom as a few just every few years. A high risk indicates high confidence of widespread and prolific severe weather, and almost always coincides with significant to historic outbreaks of severe weather.

High Resolution NSSL WoFS Data

The National Severe Storms Laboratory operates a high-resolution ensemble forecast model over selected regions in support of forecast severe weather events, known as the Warn on Forecast System (WoFS). The ensemble forecast is initialized every 30 minutes and provides National Weather Service meteorologists high resolution model guidance that can provide valuable mesoanalysis information at a faster update rate than subjective and automated mesoanalysis methods can currently provide. This allows meteorologists to better evaluate downstream and near-storm environments when severe weather is ongoing, and to be able to better anticipate where and when warnings will be necessary.

The ensemble mean forecasts provided below are from the 1800Z (1 PM CDT) initialization, approximately one hour prior to when the Little Rock EF-3 tornado started, and provide a visualization of how the downstream storm environment was forecast to evolve as the EF-3 tornado producing supercell moved through the metro area. Data listed (from top-left to bottom-right):

  1. 2 m Temperature
  2. 2 m Dewpoint
  3. 2 m Theta-e (Equivalent Potential Temperature)
  4. Surface-based CAPE
  5. 0-1 km wind shear
  6. Significant Tornado Parameter (effective layer)
  7. 0-500 m Storm-Relative Helicity
  8. 0-1 km Storm-Relative Helicity
  9. 0-3 km Storm-Relative Helicity
  10. An animated loop of point forecast WoFS soundings from the 18Z initialization, from 18-21Z (1-4PM CDT), with the forecast point centered just east of Jacksonville (Pulaski County).

WoFS data courtesy of the National Severe Storms Laboratory using federal funding.

KLZK Radar - Approximately 1 PM CDT

In the animation: A loop of KLZK reflectivity from 12:50 PM CDT to 1:20 PM CDT on 03/31/2023, showing a line of discrete supercells moving into the metro area early that afternoon. The supercell moving through Garland County, and approaching western Saline County would go on to produce the Little Rock EF-3 Tornado in the following hour.

Key Takeaways from the 18Z (1 PM CDT) Pre-Storm, High-Resolution Forecast Data

  1. Local destabilization was expected over the metro area ahead of already ongoing discrete supercells in west central and southwestern Arkansas, at which point, were beginning to move into central Arkansas and the metro area. Despite surface temperatures primarily in the upper 70s in the downstream environment, increasing low-level moisture content would result in a higher  theta-e  airmass, and an increasingly buoyant and unstable airmass downstream of developing storms, as seen from forecast  surface-based CAPE  values of approximately 1500-2000 J/kg.
  2. In the days leading up to March 31, there was little doubt about the magnitude of  wind shear  that would be in place. The 0-1 km layer wind shear was forecast to exceed 35-45 knots in the downstream environment that afternoon, which is more than sufficient for producing low-level horizontal vorticity.
  3. Forecast  storm-relative helicity  fields were also highly concerning, with the 0-500 m layer storm-relative helicity values exceeding 350-400 m2/s2. The 0-500 m layer is often considered a critical layer for tornadogenesis with regard to low-level buoyancy/inhibition ( Markowski et al. 2002 ) and wind shear/vorticity ( Coffer et al. 2019 ), and the inferred magnitude of low-level  streamwise vorticity  would easily facilitate an increasing tornado threat in the next few hours.
  4. Another tool that meteorologists will refer to in evolving severe weather situations is the  significant tornado parameter (STP) . STP is a composite parameter that is normalized by buoyancy (CAPE), inhibition (CIN), and wind shear parameters. Given that these parameters were forecast to be highly favorable, the STP fields downstream of developing storms were forecast to be between 2 to 4, indicating an environment that would be highly conducive for producing and sustaining long-track/significant tornadoes. Note that STP values > 1 are considered significant values.
  5. The  ensemble  point forecast soundings in the downstream environment were indicative of very favorable thermodynamic and kinematic fields, as already evidenced by the high forecast values from the planar 2-D maps. However, these products do not always tell the whole story and a vertical perspective such as forecast soundings can provide more insight. The forecast  hodographs  leading up to tornadogenesis in the Little Rock metro area were expected to become very favorable for producing significant  streamwise vorticity  immediately downstream of developing supercell updrafts, particularly in the lowest ~1 km, which is generally a strong differentiating factor between tornado producing environments, and non-tornado producing environments ( Parker 2014 ). More on reading and interpreting hodographs  here .

Additional WoFS Info

Mesoanalysis & Mesoscale Discussions

Here is a discussion on some mesoscale analysis products leading up to tornadogenesis of the Little Rock EF-3 Tornado. High-resolution forecast data is invaluable, however, it is still a forecast, and observational data offers a higher level of value to the mesoscale forecaster, as the observed data will offer insight to how the environment is currently evolving, and how well or not well the forecast guidance may be performing. Additionally, a timeline of mesoscale discussions that were issued by the Storm Prediction Center is provided below, highlighting the evolution of the severe weather threat through the early afternoon hours in central Arkansas.

Mesoscale Analysis Products

Data listed below are from the  SPC Archive Mesoanalysis Products Page  at 19Z (2 PM CDT) 03/31/23 (from top-left to bottom-right):

  1. 500 mb analysis
  2. Surface pressure, temperature, and dewpoint analysis
  3. Surface-based CAPE and CIN
  4. 0-1 km layer wind shear
  5. Effective bulk wind shear
  6. 0-500 m layer storm-relative helicity
  7. 0-1 km layer storm-relative helicity
  8. Effective layer storm-relative helicity
  9. Significant Tornado Parameter (effective layer)
  10. The 18Z (1 PM CDT) observed sounding from NWS Little Rock

KLZK Radar - Approximately 2 PM CDT

In the animation: KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) from approximately 1:56 PM CDT to 2:09 PM CDT, depicting an approaching and unimpeded supercell, with a strengthening low-level inflow region.

In the figure: Looking aloft, KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) at 2:09 PM CDT. A bounded weak-echo region (left) and mid-level mesocyclone (right) or an area of strong rotation in a supercell, can be seen with the approaching supercell. A bounded weak-echo region is an indicator of a strong supercell updraft, and rotation acts to further strengthen it. The center of the white circle annotations is approximately 8000 feet above radar level.

Key Takeaways From 19Z (2 PM CDT) Immediate Near-Storm Mesoscale Analysis

  1. A compact, shortwave  trough  in the upper levels (see 500 mb analysis) was beginning to move across the southern central US, and the associated 100 knot  jet streak  would further strengthen local vertical wind shear parameters. In addition to increasing local vertical wind shear, the approaching trough drove broad synoptic-scale lift over the region. This lift aided in destabilization by cooling temperatures aloft, and subsequently increasing low to mid-level lapse rates.
  2. At the surface, a cold front was located near the Arkansas/Oklahoma border, with a strong surface low pressure system located further north over northeastern Kansas/northwestern Missouri. Locally, this was producing strong low-level southerly winds, allowing for warm air and moisture advection across Arkansas, further driving destabilization (increasing instability). This was evident from  surface-based CAPE  analysis, via a large swath of 1500-2000 J/kg across much of central Arkansas.
  3. As previously mentioned, deep vertical wind shear was prevalent over much of the region at this point, and low-level wind fields were becoming increasingly favorable for supporting supercell maintenance and even tornadic potential. In the near-storm environment of the approaching supercell, 0-1 km wind shear was 40 knots, the  effective bulk wind shear  (the wind shear through the depth of a storm) was 65-70 knots, 0-500 m  storm-relative helicity  was ~200 m2/s2 (a critical layer for tornadogenesis), and  effective storm-relative helicity  (the storm-relative helicity sourced from the  effective inflow layer  of a storm updraft) was ~400 m2/s2.
  4. Per analysis of the  significant tornado parameter (STP)  fields, a local maximum of STP values of 4 was analyzed over central Arkansas, in the downstream environment of the approaching supercell. Note that STP values greater than 1 are considered significant, and indicative of a highly conducive environment for significant tornadoes.
  5. Lastly, the 18Z (1 PM CDT) weather balloon data from NWS Little Rock indicated a local environment that was uncapped and fairly unstable, with a favorable low-level vertical wind profile, as also evidenced by the 2-D planar wind shear analyses.
  6. With a strengthening supercell approaching, and the immediate downstream environment of this supercell extremely conducive for tornadogenesis (including significant tornadoes) forecasters had no reason to believe this supercell would weaken over the next few hours, and had strong evidence to ascertain that the tornado potential would remain extremely high as it trekked across the Little Rock metro area.

SPC Mesoscale Discussion Timeline

SPC MD 391 - 10:44 AM CDT

Pre-frontal and weak convection was ongoing over portions of western Arkansas during the later morning hours on March 31, and the downstream environment in central Arkansas was becoming more favorable/unstable for severe weather. SPC highlighted high confidence in the need for a 'Potentially Dangerous Situation' Tornado Watch in the next few hours. -  MCD0391 

SPC MD 392 - 10:47 AM CDT

SPC issues a mesoscale discussion concerning a categorical upgrade to a High Risk for the Day 1 convective outlook. "An upgrade to a tornado-driven High Risk (30% probability) is expected for the 1630 UTC outlook. Environmental conditions are quickly becoming favorable to support the potential for numerous strong to potentially violent and long-track tornadoes across portions of eastern AR, southwestern TN, and northern MS." -  MCD0392 

PDS Tornado Watch 94 - 12:30 PM CDT

SPC issues a 'Potentially Dangerous Situation' Tornado Watch for much of Arkansas, highlighting the risk for "Supercells capable of damaging tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds are all possible. Parameters are sufficiently favorable for the risk of strong/violent tornadoes." -  WW0094 

SPC MD 399 - 1:42 PM CDT

Following the issuance of the PDS tornado watch, discrete supercells were beginning to move into a favorable corridor over central Arkansas for strong tornadoes. -  MCD0399 

SPC MD 401 - 2:36 PM CDT

SPC issues a mesoscale discussion highlighting the tornadic supercell moving through the Little Rock metro area in Pulaski County. -  MCD0401 

The full suite of Storm Prediction Center text and mesoanalysis products for 03/31/2023 can be viewed  here .

01 / 07

The Damage Path

Event Summary

  • EF-Scale: EF-3
  • Maximum Estimated Wind Speed: 165 mph
  • Path Length: 34.23 miles
  • Maximum Path Width: 800 yards
  • Start Location: 0.5 miles south-southwest of Martindale, AR
  • Start Time: 2:18 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • Start Lat/Lon: 34.7251 / -92.4824
  • End Location: 1 mile northwest of Oak Grove, AR
  • End Time: 2:58 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • End Lat/Lon: 34.9444 / -91.9421
  • Fatalities: 0
  • Injuries: 54
  • Survey Summary: This tornado started just southwest of the Colonel Glenn and Marsh Road intersection in Martindale, west of Marsh road, uprooting trees and ripping a portion of a roof off an outbuilding. The tornado then continued northeast across a forested area, uprooting several more trees before crossing into a neighborhood off Capitol Hill Boulevard near Hartford and Denver Streets. More trees were uprooted as it moved northeast towards Kanis Road. The tornado rapidly intensified as it passed northeast over Chenal Parkway, severely damaging several apartment buildings off of Napa Valley Drive. The most severe residential damage occurred at these apartments, and along and west of North Shackleford Road along Jamestown Drive and Cobble Hill Road. Most exterior walls had collapsed on several homes, leaving just some interior walls standing. The tornado then crossed Interstate 430 near the North Rodney Parham Road interchange, damaging a shopping center and a Kroger. Between Interstate 430 and Cantrell Road, many homes and apartments were severely damage, with roofs ripped off and hundreds of trees uprooted. The tornado crossed Cantrell Road near Foxtrot Road, damaging more apartments and many businesses. Between Cantrell Road and the Arkansas River, many more homes were damaged from the tornado winds or trees falling onto those homes in the Cammack Village neighborhood. Before crossing the river, many trees were uprooted or trunks snapped at Murray Park. The tornado then uprooted or snapped thousands of trees at Burns Park, both north and south of Interstate 40. The city of Little Rock estimated around 10,000 trees were lost within Burns Park. The tornado crossed Interstate 40 just west of exit 150, passing over ball fields and recreation areas west of Military Drive. A new fire station still under construction was also damaged along Military Drive. The tornado then passed over MacArther Drive near the Military Drive intersection in Amboy, severely damaging many more homes and businesses. Several more homes and apartments were damaged between Military Drive and Remount Road, with the tornado passing over Remount Road between Kierre Drive and Camp Robinson Road. Most of the damage in these areas consisted of severe roof damage and uprooted trees, though there were some homes who completely lost their roofs. The tornado then moved into the Indian Hills neighborhood of North Little Rock, with more damaged roofs. A few homes along Flintrock Road near Osage Drive lost their entire roofs, along with many homes damaged by trees falling onto homes. The tornado seemed to weaken a bit as it passed over North Hills Boulevard, with some less severe roof damage and many uprooted trees. The tornado crossed over John F. Kennedy Boulevard near Club Road, traveling northeast through Sherwood generally along Lee Avenue, damaging many more homes as it continued towards Kiehl Avenue. The tornado crossed over Kiehl Avenue near Northgate Drive and Woodridge Lane, damaging more homes and some businesses. This tornado passed over Brockington Road north of Kiehl Avenue, ripping a roof off an apartment building along Calloway Avenue, then passing over Indianhead Lake uprooting several more trees and damaging more roofs. The tornado then passed over rural marsh land just northwest of U.S. Highway 67 near the Interstate 440 interchange, uprooting more trees before crossing U.S. Highway 67 near the Redmond Road exit at Jacksonville. A tractor-trailer was flipped over along U.S. Highway 67, along with damage to signage along the road. The tornado moved over the ball fields south of Redmond Road, then into some neighborhoods where the tornado seemed to strengthen, severely damaging more homes and businesses along Stone and McHenry Streets, Eastview Drive and South 1st Street. A church was completely destroyed along North Elm Street south of Graham Road. More homes were damaged north of Graham Road west of J. P. Wright Loop Road before the tornado passed over the Holland Bottoms State Wildlife Area west of Kerr Station Road. Many trees were snapped or uprooted in this wildlife area. This tornado was rated an EF3 with maximum estimated winds of 165 mph within Pulaski County. This tornado continued into Lonoke County. This tornado continued from Pulaski County into Lonoke County within Holland Bottoms State Wildlife Area west of Kerr Station Road. Many trees were snapped or uprooted in this wildlife area. The tornado exited the wildlife area into the Parnell community, with more roofs damaged and some garages destroyed along Oliver Lane. The tornado crossed Arkansas Highway 89 near Russell Road, destroying a mobile home. The tornado continued into some more rural areas of southeast Cabot, with some damage to a few homes and several more trees uprooted or snapped. The tornado finally lifted between Arkansas Highway 321 and Campground Road west of Laser Lane. This tornado was rated an EF2 with maximum estimated winds of 132 mph within Lonoke County. This tornado tracked for a total distance of 34.2 miles across two counties.

In the animation: A storm-centered loop of KLZK base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right); cross-correlation coefficient (bottom right); differential reflectivity (bottom left), from approximately 2:01 PM CDT to 3:03 PM CDT on the afternoon of March 31, 2023, showing the EF-3 tornado producing supercell as it struck the Little Rock metro area.

Calais Forest Apartments

Shortly after the tornado began near Martindale (southwestern Pulaski County) and moved northeast into the metro area, significant damage of EF-3 intensity was found at the Calais Forest Apartment complex, just northeast of Chenal Parkway.

In the picture: A few multi-story apartment buildings at the Calais Forest Apartment Complex sustained severe damage of EF-3 intensity, with most of the roof structures gone, and exterior walls destroyed or knocked over.

Walnut Valley/Shackleford Road

The most devastating, and consistent damage was observed along Shackleford Road, between Cobble Hill Road and Breckenridge Drive. All of the homes located on the corner of Shackleford Road and Breckenridge drive were completely leveled, and unrecognizable. This area saw the highest-rated damage indicators, with high-end EF-3 damage. Additional EF-3 damage was observed just east of I-430, at a group of apartment buildings on Sanford Road.

In the picture: Devastating and high-end EF-3 damage was observed in the Walnut Valley neighborhood along Shackleford Road. The homes on the corner of Shackleford Road and Breckenridge Drive were completely destroyed.

In the picture: The corner of Shackleford and Cobble Hill Roads saw a widespread path of strong EF-2 damage to numerous homes.

In the picture: The tornado as seen from near Rodney Parham Road and I-430, looking towards the southwest. The tornado quickly intensified as it moved across Chenal Parkway and moved into the Walnut Valley neighborhood. Image is courtesy of Andrew Justin via Twitter (@andrewjustinWX).

In the animation: A storm-centered loop of KLZK base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right), from approximately 2:19 PM CDT to 2:30 PM CDT on the afternoon of March 31, 2023, showing the EF-3 tornado producing supercell as it struck the Little Rock metro area.

Murray & Burns Park

Ground surveys and low-altitude high-resolution aerial imagery revealed the extent of tree damage over Murray and Burns Park. Reservoir Park also saw significant tree damage and losses. A majority of the trees in the path of the tornado were blown down or snapped off, leaving behind a path of deforestation in the 1700 acres of Burns Park. Initial estimates from the city of North Little Rock indicated that approximately 10,000 trees were lost in just Burns Park. Along with trees, park structures and buildings also sustained damage, as well as the high school baseball complex on the northeast end of the park, which displaced the North Little Rock High School baseball team for the remainder of their 2023 season.

In the picture: This was the end result from the ground across the portions of Burns Park that were in the tornado path. Trees uprooted and blown down, or snapped at the trunk. Most of the softwood trees were completely root balled and blown down, whereas most of the hardwoods like oaks were snapped.

In the picture: An aerial view Saturday of Burns Park shows the damage from the powerful tornado that hit the area Friday, March 31, 2023. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)

In the picture: At the baseball fields on the northeast part of the park, a steel light pole with a rebar-reinforced concrete pedestal was completely knocked over, bending the interior rebar structure and crumbling the concrete pedestal.

The Little Rock WFO - A Close Encounter

At approximately 2:35 PM CDT, the tornado was just to the south of the office by approximately one mile at the closest, and moving east-northeast through the neighborhoods of North Little Rock. In the minutes prior, the NWS Little Rock staff was watching diligently to determine when they would need to seek refuge in the office storm shelter, and when to hand radar operations off to NWS Memphis as the tornado passed by, anticipating an impact at the office, equipment, and their ability to continue issuing warnings. This was not the first close encounter in office history, as the NWS Little Rock Office nearly took a direct hit from a tornado 15 years prior, in April 2008, when an EF-2 tornado took an eerily similar track through the North Little Rock area.

In the picture: NWS Little Rock staff seeking refuge in the office storm shelter as a tornado passes within a mile of the office to the southeast on March 31, 2023.

In the animation: KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) showing the tornado producing supercell passing within one mile of the KLZK radar and NWS Little Rock office between 2:30 PM CDT and 2:38 PM CDT on 03/31/2023.

Jacksonville

Considerable damage was found in a few neighborhoods of Jacksonville where several homes lost their roofs completely. The worst damage was found at a church, where the cathedral building had completely collapsed and was destroyed. A few other non-residential buildings were also completely destroyed, including a laundromat, but the ground survey revealed these buildings had poor construction methods, and were given a lower damage rating.

In the picture: The rubble from the collapsed cathedral building of a church in Jacksonville. This was among the worst damage found in Jacksonville.

In the picture: The baseball field complex at Dupree Park in Jacksonville, just east of US-67, saw considerable damage to both trees, and the baseball fields and surrounding buildings. Amidst the damage and debris, a cast-iron bench that was bolted and anchored to a concrete pad remained in place.

Cabot/Red Oak Airport

The tornado dissipated just to the east of Cabot in Lonoke County, and there was some uncertainty as to the continuity of the tornado between Jacksonville and Cabot. High-resolution low-altitude aerial survey imagery revealed extensive tree blowdowns through the Holland Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, which helped to determine a single tornado track from West Little Rock to eastern Cabot. Considerable structure damage was found on the south side of town in the Parnell Community, and along the Red Oak Community Airport, including the near to complete destruction of an exterior steel structured shop building and a hangar building.

In the picture: An aerial survey revealed extensive tree blowdowns through the Holland Bottoms Wildlife Management Area between Jacksonville and Cabot. Imagery is courtesy of EagleView.

In the picture: Twisted steel and metal siding panels from what was a detached shop building. Note that the two-post car lift on the inside was still standing.

In the picture: A hangar building was completely destroyed on the north side of the Red Oak Airport runway. Note that the point of failure was at the hangar door, and the forces were strong enough to strip the internal steel beam structures from the concrete, even with sufficient anchoring mechanisms.

Scientific Analysis of the Little Rock Tornado

How common are tornadoes in the Little Rock metro area?

Tornadoes in the Little Rock metro area have happened more times than not, but not as frequently as the map suggests. In the period of record (1950-2023), there have been 21 tornadoes, with reliable track lengths of one-half mile or greater, and event narrative information per the  NCEI Storm Events Database , that have impacted the metro area.

The EF-3 tornado on March 31, 2023, was the first significant tornado (EF-2 or greater) to hit the metro area since 2011, was the fourth F-3/EF-3 tornado to hit the area in the period of record, and was also the first F3/EF-3 tornado to hit the area since the historic tornado outbreak on January 21, 1999.

Tornado Myths: Will Tornadoes Cross Over Significant Terrain Changes?

The short answer is: Yes, Yes They Will.

Once the ground-based damage survey had been completed, a more thorough analysis of the damage track was conducted, and it revealed some interesting features: A strong correlation was apparent between some of the most significantly damaged areas, and the local topography.

In the figures: (Left) a horizontal transect of the Little Rock EF-3 tornado path on March 31, 2023, highlighting the topography the tornado maneuvered across for 34 miles, and (Right) as in the left figure, but with notable damage areas and locations annotated.

The Potential Influence of Topography on Tornado Damage

When analyzing the topographical transect of the path, annotated with relative EF-scale damage, some of the most significant damage that was observed around Shackleford Road and the Walnut Valley neighborhood was located in a local low spot, or valley, directly after the tornado had just crossed over and descended down a ridge. Ground surveys revealed relatively focused extensive structural and tree damage in this area.

A handful of academic studies (Forbes 1998;  Lewellen 2012 ;  Satrio et al. 2020 ;  Anderson et al. 2022 ) have examined the influence of topography and terrain on the variability of tornado vortex movement, and horizontal and vertical wind velocities. The Little Rock EF-3 tornado on March 31, 2023 was subject to significant terrain changes as it moved through the metro area, and influences due to the local topography in the tornado track and estimated wind speeds based on damage are evident based on previous studies.

In the figure: A horizontal transect of the Little Rock EF-3 tornado path on March 31, 2023, from 0-12 miles of the total path length, with relative EF-scale damage along the path highlighted.

Topographical Influences on Tornado Vortex Behavior in Walnut Valley

 Lewellen (2012)  and  Satrio et al. (2020)  demonstrated in numerical simulations that hills and valleys can cause a tornado vortex to fluctuate in intensity and also change their direction of movement. For example, when a tornado begins to move uphill, the vortex may shift to the left of center (relative to the storm-motion). Near the hilltop or peak, the vortex tends to move to the right of center, followed by a shift to the left of center as the vortex begins to descend from the hilltop.

Numerical Simulations of Tornado Vortex Wind Speed Over Terrain

Figure 4 from  Lewellen (2012) : A 1 km long surface track of peak wind speed encountered at 3 m height for a simulated medium swirl tornado moving left to right at 15 m/s across a 100 m tall ridge (illustrated by the vertical black lines), and the topographic contour interval shown is 10 m.

Figure 5 from  Satrio et al (2020) : Maximum along-track vortex-relative 10 m AGL horizontal wind speed for (a) hill_25m_base, (b) hill_50m_base, and (c) hill_100m_base. Black contours represent the terrain height (m) while the pink circles highlight areas of enhanced horizontal wind speeds on the uphill and in the gap segment in the latter two simulations. Note how larger gradients in topography (the 50m and 100m hills) result in stronger horizontal wind speeds.

In the figure on the right: The Little Rock EF-3 tornado on 03/31/2023 exhibited very similar behavior to the numerical simulations found in  Lewellen (2012)  and  Satrio et al. (2020) . The tornado vortex ascended a ridge on the north side of Chenal Parkway, causing EF-3 intensity damage to several Calais Forest Apartment buildings. The tornado vortex continued to cross over the ridge (near a peak of 620 feet ASL), and then descended down into the Walnut Valley neighborhood along Shackleford Road (low point near 400 feet ASL, a vertical drop of 220 feet or 67 meters in approximately three-quarters of a mile), where the most consistent swaths of damage and damage intensity were observed. The strongest estimated wind speeds were estimated to be 165 mph to the right of the tornado vortex center in this area, additionally owing to a forward speed near 60 mph.

Tornado Vortex Tilting Due to Terrain

As previously discussed, terrain can influence the horizontal movement and velocities of a tornado vortex. It has also been shown to alter the vertical structure of a tornado vortex, causing tilting or "bending" of the vortex as it climbs and descends terrain.

In the right figure: A horizontal transect of the Little Rock EF-3 tornado path on March 31, 2023, from from 0-12 miles of the total path length, with relative EF-scale damage along the path highlighted.

Figure 9 from  Lewellen (2012) : A 3-D view of a simulated tornado vortex passing over a 100 meter tall ridge (from left to right). Note how the tornado tilts as it begins moving off of the ridge.

The behavior of tornado vortex tilting due to topography was actually captured on camera in the video below, courtesy of Tim McMahan via Twitter. The largest terrain change the tornado encountered was the descent from the ridge that Cammack Village sits on top of (~550 feet ASL) down to Murray Park and the Arkansas River basin (~250 feet ASL), approximately 300 vertical feet of descent in under one-half mile.

Video of the Little Rock EF-3 Tornado crossing the Arkansas River on 03/31/2023, courtesy of Tim McMahan via Twitter.

Due to primarily trees and power poles as damage indicators in this vicinity where the tornado crossed the Arkansas River, and a lack of more significant damage indicators, estimated winds of EF-2 intensity was the highest rating possible in this area. Although, based on observations earlier in the path, it is fair to hypothesize that maximum wind speeds may have been greater than EF-2 intensity through this area as a clear path of snapped or uprooted trees were observed through Murray Park and the western portion of Burns Park.

There were several open shelters just to the north of the perspective of the picture below that were relatively undamaged, and it is important to note, if there were wind speeds stronger than EF-2 intensity, they would likely be located just to the southeastern periphery of the main vortex.

A significant tree blow down on the leeward ridge from Cammack Village, just south of Murray Park and the Arkansas River, caused by an EF-3 tornado on 03/31/2023. Image courtesy of EagleView.

Additional Tornadoes in Arkansas - 03/31/23

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Prairie Co. Tornado

  • EF-Scale: EF-1
  • Maximum Estimated Wind Speed: 90 mph
  • Path Length: 1.1 miles
  • Maximum Path Width: 100 yards
  • Start Location: 2 miles south of Hayley, AR
  • Start Time: 3:45 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • Start Lat/Lon: 34.9457 / -91.6692
  • End Location: 2 miles south-southeast of Hayley, AR
  • End Time: 3:46 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • End Lat/Lon: 34.9502 / -91.6504
  • Fatalities: 0
  • Injuries: 0
  • Survey Summary: This tornado started in a field southwest of the intersection of West Crossroads Road and Arkansas Highway 86, snapping a power pole. The tornado then passed over a barn, lifting the roof off that barn. The tornado then moved north over Bell Road, removing some shingles off a house before lifting shortly afterwards. The tornado was rated an EF1 with estimated maximum winds of 90 mph.

Wynne EF-3 Tornado

For more information on this tornado, and other tornadoes that struck the Mid-South and parts of the NWS Memphis county warning area, check out this  storymap  that was put together by NWS Memphis.

  • EF-Scale: EF-3
  • Maximum Estimated Wind Speed: 150 mph
  • Path Length: 72.55 miles
  • Maximum Path Width: 1600 yards
  • Start Location: 3 miles south of McManus, AR
  • Start Time: 4:30 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • Start Lat/Lon: 35.1818 / -90.9611
  • End Location: 1 mile north-northwest of Holly Grove, TN
  • End Time: 5:54 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • End Lat/Lon: 35.5392 / -89.7552
  • Fatalities: 4
  • Injuries: 26
  • Survey Summary: NWS meteorologists determined an EF-3 tornado touched down in western Cross County at 431 PM CDT on March 31 on County Road 537, just south of Highway 284. The tornado tracked to the east northeast towards Wynne, AR where it crossed Highway 284 multiple times. EF-2 damage was observed north of Ellis Chapel and McElroy. Just east northeast of McElroy, significant EF-2 damage of the Sewage Treatment Plant was noted where an 80-yard long shed with sturdy roofing structure of metal failed and became aloft. The roofing wadded up and destroyed 2 cinder block buildings before landing 100 yards away. The tornado strengthened to an EF-3 as it moved into west Wynne, AR where it ravaged the center of Wynne, including the Wynne High School. Several one-and two-family residences in Wynne were partially to completely destroyed. The tornado weakened as it moved away from Wynne to north of Parkin and Earle, AR where EF-2 damage was observed. Between Earle, AR and the Mississippi River, very few damage indicators aided in the observed strength as it traversed mostly farmland. There were between 20 to 30 center pivot irrigation systems that were overturned along this area. As the tornado passed over Corna Lake in Tipton County (west side of the Mississippi River) and extreme southern Mississippi County, EF- 3 damage was observed. The tornado crossed the Mississippi River and into Tipton County, TN where it produced EF-2 damage across Wilder Farms. As the tornado climbed the Bluff, the tornado circulation began to weaken. From the top of the Bluff at the intersection of Pryor and Leach Roads to south of Burlison where the tornado appears to have lifted, EF-1 and EF-0 damage was observed. It is important to note that as the long-tracked Wynne, AR tornado was dissipating, the Covington, TN tornado was on the ground approximately 3.5 miles away to the south.

In the figure: A BUFKIT forecast sounding (utilizing the HRRR forecast model) valid at 4PM CDT on 03/31/2023, centered over Brinkley, AR (Monroe Co.). This forecast sounding was representative of the downstream environment of the supercell that would produce the EF3 tornado in eastern Arkansas just 30 minutes later.

The Impacts in Wynne

The Little Rock and Wynne EF-3 tornadoes marked the first time that at least two EF-3 tornadoes had struck Arkansas in the same day since the April 30 - May 1, 2010 outbreak (three EF-3 tornadoes). Unfortunately, the city of Wynne, Arkansas (Cross County) saw devastation from this tornado, including severe damage to Wynne High School, numerous homes, and several local businesses. The tornado claimed the lives of 4 people and injured 26 more.

In the picture: Wynne High school is damaged from severe weather on Friday, March 31, 2023, in Wynne, Arkansas, as seen on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit via AP Photo/Adrian Sainz.

In the link: A video of the tornado as it was moving through Wynne, Arkansas on March 31, 2023, recorded by Zachary Hall; @WxZachary via Twitter.

In the animation, a loop of KNQA base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right); cross-correlation coefficient (bottom right); differential reflectivity (bottom left), from approximately 4:42 PM CDT to 4:52 PM CDT on the evening of March 31, 2023, showing the EF3 tornado producing supercell as it struck Wynne, Arkansas (Cross County).

Stone Co. Tornado

  • EF-Scale: EF-2
  • Maximum Estimated Wind Speed: 111 mph
  • Path Length: 6.8 miles
  • Maximum Path Width: 125 yards
  • Start Location: 0.5 miles north-northeast of Alco, AR
  • Start Time: 4:49 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • Start Lat/Lon: 35.8855 / -92.3665
  • End Location: 2 miles north of Newnata, AR
  • End Time: 4:57 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • End Lat/Lon: 35.9118 / -92.2505
  • Fatalities: 0
  • Injuries: 0
  • Survey Summary: This tornado started just south of Arkansas Hwy 66 near Alco, moving northeast towards Arkansas Hwy 263 between Onia and Timbo. After crossing the Arkansas Hwy 263, it ripped the roof off a house and moved this house off the foundation. The tornado then moved northeast crossing Big Springs Road, uprooting several trees. The tornado then lifted just northeast of here before Clearwater Road. This tornado was rated an EF2 with estimated maximum winds of 111 mph.

Phillips Co. Tornado

  • EF-Scale: EF-U
  • Maximum Estimated Wind Speed: Unknown
  • Path Length: 2.76 miles
  • Maximum Path Width: 100 yards
  • Start Location: 2 miles south-southwest of Edgewood, AR
  • Start Time: 7:03 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • Start Lat/Lon: 34.6089 / -90.7929
  • End Location: 1 mile north-northeast of Lexa, AR
  • End Time: 7:06 PM CDT March 31, 2023
  • End Lat/Lon: 34.6174 / -90.7455
  • Fatalities: 0
  • Injuries: 0
  • Survey Summary: A funnel cloud which moved over much of Phillips County touched down as a tornado briefly northwest of Lexa as it crossed Highway 1. An emergency manager along with several public spotters observed the tornado briefly touching down over open fields. No damage indicators were found and thus the tornado is rated as an EF-U. Nearby reports of damage were from straight line winds that were associated with the same storm's rearflank downdraft. A special thanks goes out to Phillips County Emergency Management for their assistance during this survey.

A Look At The Bigger Picture - Regional Tornado Summaries

The Mid-South

Outside of Arkansas, numerous more tornadoes struck part of the Mid-South, including Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and northern Alabama. Two EF-3 tornadoes struck Arkansas, and an additional 3 EF-3 tornadoes were recorded over western and southwestern Tennessee, and northern Alabama/southern central Tennessee. These other three EF-3 tornadoes caused 11 fatalities and injured 56 more people. Here are some links to other event summary pages by the NWS offices responsible for the damage surveys.

The Midwest

Up in the Midwest regions, dozens of tornadoes were recorded from March 31 - April 1, including 5 EF-3 tornadoes, and an EF-4 tornado. Here are some links to event summary web pages by the NWS offices responsible for the damage survey work.

Social Media

One of the unique factors of this event was the location, as the tornado struck a fairly dense population center. This meant numerous angles and perspectives of the tornado were captured by bystanders and storm chasers alike. Here are just a few perspectives of the tornado via witnesses on social media from across the metro area on March 31, 2023.

In the video: Mike Bennett and his friend witness the tornado passing from a building on Breckenridge and North Shackleford Road in one of the neighborhoods where some of the most extensive damage was observed. Video is courtesy of Mike Bennett via Twitter.

In the video: A timelapse video taken from the 10th floor of Baptist Health in Little Rock, looking due west, showing tornadogenesis over west Little Rock, and the transition into a violent tornado as it moved through the metro area. Video is courtesy of @KRoftheAR via Twitter.

In the video: The tornado as viewed from Baptist Health Little Rock, looking west, likely as the tornado was moving into the Walnut Valley neighborhood. Video is courtesy of Jesse Forrester via Twitter.

In the video: The tornado as viewed from the 7th floor of Medical Towers 1 on the Baptist Health Little Rock Campus. Video courtesy of Sean Canady/Kristal Benton via Twitter.

In the video: The tornado as viewed from a building on Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, looking south as the tornado was moving through Burns Park and Amboy. Video is courtesy of Paul Wilkerson (@Paul_The_Wxguru via Twitter).

In the video: Charles Peek witnesses the tornado crossing the Arkansas River via drone from Burns Park. Video is courtesy of Charles Peek on Twitter.

Additional Damage Footage

A compilation of storm chasing footage and damage aftermath footage from the March 31, 2023 Little Rock Tornado, courtesy of Brian Emfinger.

Damage in Burns Park from March 31, 2023 Tornado, video is courtesy of the City of North Little Rock.

City of North Little Rock Tornado Damage Recap, video courtesy of the City of North Little Rock.

Lasting Impacts

In the wake of the tornado, cleanup and rebuilding efforts were evident in the affected areas in the immediate following days. However, even once the debris was cleaned up and trucked away, the impacts of the tornado will remain for years to come. Countless homes, businesses, parks, and thousands of people in the surrounding metro area were forever changed.

In the image gallery (left to right): The tornado damage path as seen from commercial flights over Little Rock just a few weeks after the event. Images are courtesy of Ryan Knauer and Megan Harris, via Twitter.

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Murray Park

On the left, a perspective of the tornado path through Murray Park, taken from the Arkansas River Trail (north of the river in Burns Park, looking south) in September 2023. On the right, high-resolution aerial imagery of Murray Park taken on April 1, 2023.

Burns Park/Arkansas River Trail

For most local residents, some of the most lasting impacts will be the altered landscape of Burns Park (in several areas of the park), in which an estimated 10,000 trees were lost, and numerous park structures and facilities were damaged.

On the left, looking west on Tournament Drive towards the intersection of Catfish Road (Google Maps imagery from April 2021). On the right, a similar perspective from Tournament Drive (image directed towards the west-northwest, taken in September 2023), showing the extent of tree damage and how much foliage was lost in the damage path.

Burns Park/Arkansas River Trail

On the left, looking east-northeast on Tournament Drive towards the Burns Park Golf Course (Google Maps imagery from April 2021). On the right, a similar perspective from Tournament Drive (image directed towards the east-northeast, taken in September 2023), showing the extent of tree damage and how much foliage was lost in the damage path. Note the peak that is now visible in the background due to the amount of trees that were lost.

Burns Park/Arkansas River Trail

On the left, looking east on Tournament Drive towards the Burns Park Golf Course, from just in front of the Arkansas River Trail parking lot that lies east of the Catfish Road intersection (Google Maps imagery from April 2021). On the right, a similar perspective from Tournament Drive (image directed towards the northeast, taken in September 2023), showing the extent of tree damage and how much foliage was lost in the damage path. Note the peak that is now visible in the background due to the amount of trees that were lost.

In the picture, high-resolution aerial survey imagery of Tournament Drive in Burns Park, showing an entire swath of trees that were blown down by a tornado on March 31, 2023. The peak seen in the photo (right) is just outside of the top-right corner of this image. Imagery courtesy of Eagle View.

Burns Park/Military Drive

On the left, the antecedent foliage in the park on Military Road, just north of I-40, contrasts the post-tornado image on the right (taken in September 2023), where hundreds of trees were lost just in this one area of the park.

In the picture: The filtered local storm reports from 12Z 03/31/2023 to 12Z 04/01/2023 overlaid on the 20Z 03/31/2023 categorical convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center. Note that tornado reports do not indicate survey-confirmed tornadoes.

In the animation: A loop of KLZK reflectivity from 12:50 PM CDT to 1:20 PM CDT on 03/31/2023, showing a line of discrete supercells moving into the metro area early that afternoon. The supercell moving through Garland County, and approaching western Saline County would go on to produce the Little Rock EF-3 Tornado in the following hour.

In the animation: KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) from approximately 1:56 PM CDT to 2:09 PM CDT, depicting an approaching and unimpeded supercell, with a strengthening low-level inflow region.

In the figure: Looking aloft, KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) at 2:09 PM CDT. A bounded weak-echo region (left) and mid-level mesocyclone (right) or an area of strong rotation in a supercell, can be seen with the approaching supercell. A bounded weak-echo region is an indicator of a strong supercell updraft, and rotation acts to further strengthen it. The center of the white circle annotations is approximately 8000 feet above radar level.

In the picture: The SPC categorical convective outlook over Arkansas for March 31, 2023 at the 1630Z (11:30 AM CDT) update.

In the picture: The SPC tornado risk outlook over Arkansas for March 31, 2023 at the 1630Z (11:30 AM CDT) update, highlighting a 30% (or greater) risk of tornadoes across portions of eastern central Arkansas.

In the animation: A storm-centered loop of KLZK base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right); cross-correlation coefficient (bottom right); differential reflectivity (bottom left), from approximately 2:01 PM CDT to 3:03 PM CDT on the afternoon of March 31, 2023, showing the EF-3 tornado producing supercell as it struck the Little Rock metro area.

In the picture: A few multi-story apartment buildings at the Calais Forest Apartment Complex sustained severe damage of EF-3 intensity, with most of the roof structures gone, and exterior walls destroyed or knocked over.

In the picture: Devastating and high-end EF-3 damage was observed in the Walnut Valley neighborhood along Shackleford Road. The homes on the corner of Shackleford Road and Breckenridge Drive were completely destroyed.

In the picture: The corner of Shackleford and Cobble Hill Roads saw a widespread path of strong EF-2 damage to numerous homes.

In the picture: The tornado as seen from near Rodney Parham Road and I-430, looking towards the southwest. The tornado quickly intensified as it moved across Chenal Parkway and moved into the Walnut Valley neighborhood. Image is courtesy of Andrew Justin via Twitter (@andrewjustinWX).

In the animation: A storm-centered loop of KLZK base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right), from approximately 2:19 PM CDT to 2:30 PM CDT on the afternoon of March 31, 2023, showing the EF-3 tornado producing supercell as it struck the Little Rock metro area.

In the picture: This was the end result from the ground across the portions of Burns Park that were in the tornado path. Trees uprooted and blown down, or snapped at the trunk. Most of the softwood trees were completely root balled and blown down, whereas most of the hardwoods like oaks were snapped.

In the picture: An aerial view Saturday of Burns Park shows the damage from the powerful tornado that hit the area Friday, March 31, 2023. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)

In the picture: At the baseball fields on the northeast part of the park, a steel light pole with a rebar-reinforced concrete pedestal was completely knocked over, bending the interior rebar structure and crumbling the concrete pedestal.

In the picture: NWS Little Rock staff seeking refuge in the office storm shelter as a tornado passes within a mile of the office to the southeast on March 31, 2023.

In the animation: KLZK reflectivity (left) and storm-relative velocity (right) showing the tornado producing supercell passing within one mile of the KLZK radar and NWS Little Rock office between 2:30 PM CDT and 2:38 PM CDT on 03/31/2023.

In the picture: The rubble from the collapsed cathedral building of a church in Jacksonville. This was among the worst damage found in Jacksonville.

In the picture: The baseball field complex at Dupree Park in Jacksonville, just east of US-67, saw considerable damage to both trees, and the baseball fields and surrounding buildings. Amidst the damage and debris, a cast-iron bench that was bolted and anchored to a concrete pad remained in place.

In the picture: An aerial survey revealed extensive tree blowdowns through the Holland Bottoms Wildlife Management Area between Jacksonville and Cabot. Imagery is courtesy of EagleView.

In the picture: Twisted steel and metal siding panels from what was a detached shop building. Note that the two-post car lift on the inside was still standing.

In the picture: A hangar building was completely destroyed on the north side of the Red Oak Airport runway. Note that the point of failure was at the hangar door, and the forces were strong enough to strip the internal steel beam structures from the concrete, even with sufficient anchoring mechanisms.

Figure 4 from  Lewellen (2012) : A 1 km long surface track of peak wind speed encountered at 3 m height for a simulated medium swirl tornado moving left to right at 15 m/s across a 100 m tall ridge (illustrated by the vertical black lines), and the topographic contour interval shown is 10 m.

Figure 5 from  Satrio et al (2020) : Maximum along-track vortex-relative 10 m AGL horizontal wind speed for (a) hill_25m_base, (b) hill_50m_base, and (c) hill_100m_base. Black contours represent the terrain height (m) while the pink circles highlight areas of enhanced horizontal wind speeds on the uphill and in the gap segment in the latter two simulations. Note how larger gradients in topography (the 50m and 100m hills) result in stronger horizontal wind speeds.

Figure 9 from  Lewellen (2012) : A 3-D view of a simulated tornado vortex passing over a 100 meter tall ridge (from left to right). Note how the tornado tilts as it begins moving off of the ridge.

A significant tree blow down on the leeward ridge from Cammack Village, just south of Murray Park and the Arkansas River, caused by an EF-3 tornado on 03/31/2023. Image courtesy of EagleView.

In the figure: A BUFKIT forecast sounding (utilizing the HRRR forecast model) valid at 4PM CDT on 03/31/2023, centered over Brinkley, AR (Monroe Co.). This forecast sounding was representative of the downstream environment of the supercell that would produce the EF3 tornado in eastern Arkansas just 30 minutes later.

In the picture: Wynne High school is damaged from severe weather on Friday, March 31, 2023, in Wynne, Arkansas, as seen on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Credit via AP Photo/Adrian Sainz.

In the animation, a loop of KNQA base reflectivity (top left); storm-relative velocity (top right); cross-correlation coefficient (bottom right); differential reflectivity (bottom left), from approximately 4:42 PM CDT to 4:52 PM CDT on the evening of March 31, 2023, showing the EF3 tornado producing supercell as it struck Wynne, Arkansas (Cross County).

In the picture, high-resolution aerial survey imagery of Tournament Drive in Burns Park, showing an entire swath of trees that were blown down by a tornado on March 31, 2023. The peak seen in the photo (right) is just outside of the top-right corner of this image. Imagery courtesy of Eagle View.