National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
 
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
600 PM CST WED FEB 6 2008

...TORNADO SURVEYS IN YELL...POPE AND VAN BUREN COUNTIES...

TWO TEAMS FROM THE THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK
SURVEYED EXTENSIVE TORNADO DAMAGE IN PORTIONS OF YELL...POPE AND VAN
BUREN COUNTIES.

...POPE AND YELL COUNTIES...

ONE TEAM WORKED FROM AROUND THE ATKINS AREA OF POPE COUNTY SOUTHWEST
INTO YELL COUNTY. DAMAGE WAS WORST IN ATKINS...WITH THE TORNADO
RATED AS EF3 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED
AT ATKINS.

...VAN BUREN COUNTY...

THE OTHER TEAM VIEWED DAMAGE FROM AROUND SHIRLEY BACK THROUGH
CLINTON AND CULPEPPER. MUCH OF THE SWATH OF DAMAGE WAS ONE HALF MILE
TO A MILE WIDE...WITH THE TORNADO RATED AS AT LEAST EF3.

THERE SOME CASES WHERE HOMES WERE SWEPT OFF OF THEIR FOUNDATIONS...
INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE BRAND NEW HOME. THERE WERE TWO INSTANCES
WHERE PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR THEIR VEHICLES. THE VEHICLES WERE
THROWN FOR A DISTANCE AND COULD NOT BE FOUND. THERE WERE THREE
FATALITIES IN VAN BUREN COUNTY.

A QUICK RESPONSE TEAM WILL LIKELY BE ASKED TO VIEW THE DAMAGE TO
DETERMINE IF THE RATING COULD BE HIGHER THAN EF3.

...MORE SURVEYS...

SURVEYS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE COMING DAYS IN STONE...IZARD...SHARP
AND CONWAY COUNTIES. THESE COUNTIES WERE AFFECTED BY THE SAME STORM
THAT PRODUCED TORNADOES IN AREAS SURVEYED TODAY.

OTHER THAN DETERMINING RATINGS...IT WILL ALSO BE DETERMINED JUST HOW
MANY TORNADOES WERE INVOLVED. IT IS LIKELY THAT THE STORM PRODUCED
SEVERAL TORNADOES...BUT IT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT ONE LONG
TRACK TORNADO WAS SPAWNED.

OF COURSE...A SEPARATE STORM PRODUCED A TORNADO AT GASSVILLE IN
BAXTER COUNTY...WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE NOTED. THERE WAS ONE DEATH AT
GASSVILLE.

OVERALL...THERE WERE THIRTEEN PEOPLE KILLED THUS FAR IN THIS SEVERE
WEATHER OUTBREAK. THIS IS THE DEADLIEST OUTBREAK SINCE MARCH 1
1997...WHEN 25 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES.

...SURVEYORS...

THE SURVEY IN YELL AND POPE COUNTIES WAS CONDUCTED BY JOHN
ROBINSON...WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST...AND JOE
GOUDSWARD...SENIOR FORECASTER. THE SURVEY IN VAN BUREN COUNTY WAS
CONDUCTED BY STEVE BAYS...SERVICE HYDROLOGIST...AND LANCE
PYLE...FORECASTER. THEY ARE ALL FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
LITTLE ROCK.

$$

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