NWS Little Rock, AR - Text Viewer

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NOUS44 KLZK 041616
PNSLZK
ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-051200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1114 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2008

...UPDATE ON ONGOING TORNADO SURVEY IN CONWAY...VAN BUREN...AND
CLEBURNE COUNTIES...

THE BEGINNING POINT OF THE TORNADO THAT STARTED IN CONWAY COUNTY WAS
ESTABLISHED AS BEING 0.2 MILE EAST OF BIRDTOWN. THE ENDING POINT WAS
DETERMINED TODAY TO BE 4.6 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF DRASCO IN
CLEBURNE COUNTY.

THE MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS RATED EF3 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.
EF3 TORNADOES HAVE WINDS OF 136 TO 165 MPH.

TWO FATALITIES OCCURRED IN CONWAY COUNTY...ABOUT 2.2 MILES NORTHEAST
OF BIRDTOWN...ON M AND M ROAD. THESE FATALITIES WERE IN A MOBILE
HOME. A MAN AND HIS SON WERE KILLED.

THREE FATALITIES OCCURRED IN VAN BUREN COUNTY...ABOUT 4.9 MILES
NORTH NORTHEAST OF DAMASCUS...ON COUNTY ROAD 65. THESE FATALITIES
WERE IN A HOUSE THAT WAS DESTROYED. A 4 YEAR OLD GIRL AND HER
GRANDPARENTS WERE KILLED.

IT IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIME WHETHER THE TRACK IS CONTINUOUS FROM
CONWAY COUNTY...THROUGH VAN BUREN COUNTY...TO CLEBURNE COUNTY. THE
TORNADO DAMAGE PATH EXHIBITED SEVERAL ODD JOGS...WHICH CAN SOMETIMES
REPRESENT THE END OF ONE TORNADO AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER. SOME
OF THESE JOGS OCCURRED IN AREAS INACCESSIBLE BY VEHICLE...DUE TO A
LACK OF ROADS IN THE AREA. ON THE OTHER HAND...SUCH JOGS CAN
SOMETIMES OCCUR DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF NEARBY HILLS AND VALLEYS. IF
THE PATH WERE TO BE CONTINUOUS...IT WOULD BE ABOUT 45 MILES LONG.

ON MONDAY...TWO METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ARE
EXPECTED TO FLY THE TRACK OF THE TORNADO WITH THE CIVIL AIR PATROL.
THE FLIGHT SHOULD RESOLVE WHETHER OR NOT THE TRACK IS CONTINUOUS.
OTHER TRACKS FROM FRIDAY MAY 2ND WILL ALSO BE EXAMINED DURING THE
FLIGHT.

THIS SURVEY WAS SPREAD OUT OVER THREE DAYS...AND WAS CONDUCTED BY 
JOHN ROBINSON...WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST...RENEE FAIR...
METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE...AND GARY HEIFNER...AN ELECTRONICS 
TECHNICIAN...ALL FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK.

$$

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NOUS44 KLZK 060034
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ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-060600-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
730 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2008

...UPDATE ON TORNADO SURVEY IN CONWAY...VAN BUREN...AND CLEBURNE
COUNTIES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLANNED TO FLY OVER TORNADO DAMAGE
IN CONWAY...VAN BUREN AND CLEBURNE COUNTIES. WHILE THE FLIGHT COULD
NOT BE ARRANGED...THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL GROUND SURVEY TODAY...WITH
NUMEROUS PEOPLE INTERVIEWED. RADAR DATA WAS REVIEWED AS WELL.

IN THE END...IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS ONE LONG TRACK TORNADO. THE
TORNADO STARTED 0.2 MILE EAST OF BIRDTOWN IN CONWAY COUNTY AND ENDED
4.6 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF DRASCO IN CLEBURNE COUNTY.

THE MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS RATED EF3 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. EF3
TORNADOES HAVE WINDS OF 136 TO 165 MPH. THE TRACK WAS 45 MILES
LONG.

IN ADDITION...THERE WAS A SMALL SATELLITE TORNADO JUST TO THE
SOUTHEAST OF THE LONG TRACK TORNADO IN VAN BUREN COUNTY. THIS
TORNADO STARTED 2 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF DAMASCUS AND ENDED 1.5
MILES NORTHWEST OF DAMASCUS. THE TRACK WAS 1.1 MILES LONG...AND
MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS RATED EF1. MAINLY TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED...WITH
THE TORNADO WITNESSED AS ONE THIN TORNADO NEXT TO A MUCH WIDER
TORNADO. THE TORNADOES EVENTUALLY MERGED AND CONTINUED TO THE
NORTHEAST.

TODAYS SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY JOHN LEWIS...SENIOR
FORECASTER...CHUCK RICKARD...SENIOR FORECASTER...AND LANCE
PYLE...GENERAL FORECASTER...ALL WITH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN LITTLE ROCK.

$$

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