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| About This Page |
| The severe weather guide serves to educate the public about hazardous weather and how to prepare for severe storms. |
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Severe Weather Awareness Week (February 25 - March 2, 2024) |
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The National Weather Service (NWS), in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), has proclaimed February 25 to March 2, 2024 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arkansas. Citizens of the state are urged to prepare for the severe weather season. People are encouraged to use the week to review severe weather safety rules, and to understand the hazards associated with severe thunderstorms.
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| In the picture: El Niño (warmer than normal water along the equator in the Pacific Ocean) will remain in place during the upcoming spring. Research (such as by Michael K. Tippett and Chiara Lapore in 2017) and local data shows tornadoes are fewer/less frequent than when La Niña (cooler than normal water) is present. |
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As of now, El Niño conditions are in place, meaning that water temperatures are warmer than normal along the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Research and local data indicates that tornadoes tend to be less frequent in Arkansas when El Niño is present. Later this year, there should be a transition to La Niña (cooler than normal water). When such a transition has occurred in previous years, numbers of tornadoes are generally less than the annual average of 37 tornadoes.
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| In the picture: The spring outlook from the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) is leaning toward wetter than normal conditions in many areas east of the Rocky Mountains, especially in the southeast United States. Drier than normal conditions are projected in parts of the southern Plains and the Pacific Northwest. |
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While the promise of a less active year is good news, it does not mean we will not experience significant severe weather. In 2010 (a year featuring a switch from El Niño to La Niña), there was a tornado outbreak and a lot of rain on April 30th/May 1st. Eighteen tornadoes were counted (two of these were rated EF3), and 5 to 8 inches of precipitation dumped from central into northeast sections of the state. Such an outbreak could occur this year, so we need to be ready!
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| In the picture: Impact based warning (IBW) tags went into effect in 2021. |
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When it becomes necessary for severe weather warnings, there is something to mention. As expected wind gusts and hail sizes increase, we want to get your attention. There will be little commotion surrounding a standard Severe Thunderstorm Warning (60 mph winds/one inch hail). However, if 70 to 80 mph gusts or golf ball to tennis ball size hail are in the warning, it will be tagged as a "considerable" damage threat. For 80+ mph gusts or 2.75+ inch (baseball or larger) size hail, the damage tag will be labeled as "destructive". This tag will result in the activation of a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), and this will go to cell phones within the warning polygon.
To help you plan for severe weather, the NWS will broadcast safety information on NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) and will transmit Public Information Statements (PNS) on news and weather wires.
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| Information Sent During Severe Weather Awareness Week, 2024 |
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| Sunday, February 25, 2024...Introduction to Severe Weather Awareness Week...click here. |
| Monday, February 26, 2024...Flooding...click here. |
| Tuesday, February 27, 2024...Lightning...click here. |
| Wednesday, February 28, 2024...Tornadoes...click here. |
| Thursday, February 29, 2024...Severe Thunderstorms...click here. |
| Friday, March 1, 2024...Watches and Warnings...click here. |
| Saturday, March 2, 2024...Storm Reports...click here. |
| Severe Weather Awareness Week Slides |
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| This special week follows a year (2023) with 30 tornadoes (37 is normal). |
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| Link of Interest |
| Tornadoes in Arkansas Since 1950 |
| Note: The number of tornadoes has doubled since the WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) was installed in the early 1990s (39 tornadoes per year post Doppler versus 19 tornadoes pre Doppler). This is mainly due to better detection of rotation, especially with small/weak tornadoes. |
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| In the picture: This is the cover of the "Severe Weather in Arkansas" guide featuring significant damage to apartment buildings in west Little Rock (Pulaski County) on 03/31/2023. The photo (obtained from video) is courtesy of Brian Emfinger via YouTube. |
| The busiest month of the year was March with nine tornadoes. There were six tornadoes in January and June. The strongest tornado (rated EF3/maximum winds around 165 mph) tracked almost 35 miles from 7 miles north-northwest of Alexander (Pulaski County) to 4 miles southeast of Austin (Lonoke County) on March 31st. There was one fatality (indirectly related to the tornado) and 54 injuries. The deadliest tornado (rated EF3/maximum winds around 150 mph) was on the ground 73 miles from 5 miles southeast of Fair Oaks (Cross County) to 2 miles southeast of Burlison (Tipton County, TN). The tornado was responsible for four deaths at Wynne (Cross County). There were also 26 injuries. |
| Link of Interest |
| Severe Weather in Arkansas |
| Note: This includes a question/answer guide, tornado statistics since 1950, and severe weather terminology. |
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When severe weather threatens, don't forget to follow the National Weather Service through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
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| In the picture: The National Weather Service in Little Rock uses social media on a daily basis for to raise awareness of life-threatening weather, and distributing forecast and climate information, education, and outreach. |
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When spring unleashes monster storms, are you ready? Make a plan with just a few simple steps: Know Your Risk, Take Action and Be a Force of Nature. |
| In the picture: This is the Weather Safety Spring logo, and is a reminder to prepare now for severe weather. |
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