2023 Little Rock tornado

Last updated January 26, 2025

The Storm Prediction Center outlined a high risk convective outlook, the highest risk level, over much of central and western Arkansas on March 31, as a significant severe weather outbreak was expected to occur. The system had the possibility for large hail initially, before transitioning into an environment supportive to the development of long-tracked and potentially violent tornadoes. In the early afternoon, a capped environment would limit tornadic potential, however eventually this would erode and MLCAPE values would reach 1500–2500 J/kg and storm-relative helicity values would reach 300–600 m²s² as storms pushed towards the state's borders with Tennessee and Mississippi. Little Rock was included in that afternoon's outlook's Moderate risk (4/5) contour.^[3]

A supercell over Pike and Saline counties would attain tornadic characteristics as it tracked towards Little Rock, dropping a funnel cloud over Garland County at 1:18 pm. The National Weather Service in Little Rock issued a tornado warning at 2:03 pm as the storm made its final approach to Pulaski County, fifteen minutes before the Little Rock tornado was first spotted.^[4] The tornado first began causing damage at 2:18 p.m. in the Martindale subdivision of Little Rock, becoming the first to touch down of the March 31 outbreak.^[5]

Tornado summary

Formation and Martindale

At 2:03 pm, fifteen minutes after the tornado warning was issued for Pulaski County, the tornado dropped in Martindale, and quickly reached EF3 intensity as it impacted the Calais Forest apartment complex where high-end EF3 damage occurred. After this, the tornado reached its peak intensity on Shackleford road in the Walnut Valley neighborhood of Little Rock. High-end EF3 damage was observed, with multiple homes at the intersection of Shackleford and Breckenridge being completely leveled. Widespread EF2 damage was also noted in this area.^[6]

As the tornado crossed Interstate 430, it damaged a shopping center before approaching another residential area where more homes and apartments suffered severe damage. Hundreds of trees were also uprooted. The tornado caused further tree damage at Murray Park before crossing the Arkansas River into North Little Rock.^[1]

Burns Park and North Little Rock

As the tornado crossed into North Little Rock, it damaged more homes before crossing the river and uprooting and snapping hundreds to thousands of trees at Burns Park. The tornado then crossed I-40 near exit 150 and struck an under-construction fire station on Military Drive. Further damage to homes, buinesses, and apartments occurred, with some homes losing their roofs, before the tornado approached North Little Rock's Indian Hills subdivision, where further tree and house damage occurred. The tornado appeared to weaken at this point, producing less severe damage to homes and businesses, before ripping the roof off of an apartment and passing over Indianhead lake. Further damage to homes and trees occurred. The tornado then exited residential areas and enter a marsh where further tree damage occurred, before crossing US 67 where a tractor-trailer was flipped. Following this, the tornado re-entered populated areas and re-strengthened as more homes and businesses sustained severe damage, before completely destroying a church and entering Lonoke county in the Holland Bottoms wildlife preserve. The tornado entered Parnell, where roofs were damaged and garages destroyed before the tornado crossed Arkansas 89 and destroyed a mobile home. After this, the tornado entered primarily rural areas, while damaging more homes and trees, before crossing AR 321 and lifting. The tornado was responsible for $90 million of direct property damage.^[1]^[2] The sole indirect fatality occurred in North Little Rock, where a man suffered a heart attack and failed to be revived after 30 minutes of CPR.^[7]

Aftermath

Initial estimates from emergency management stated that 600 had been injured. This figure fell sharply to 24 in a statement by mayor Frank Scott Jr. that evening. A mass casualty event was declared as hospitals in the region reported a surge of hospitalizations. In addition, a curfew was put in effect for North Little Rock in the days following the tornado.^[8]130,000 cubic yards (99,000 m³) of organic debris, including piles up to 20 feet (6.1 m) high at Reservoir Park, were collected in Little Rock.^[9]

On September 12, 2023, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum selected Little Rock as one of three cities, alongside Uvalde, Texas (following a school shooting) and Waukesha, Wisconsin (following a vehicle ramming attack) to receive a seedling as part of their Survivor Tree program.^[10] The tree was to be planted in Walnut Valley.^[11]

Recovery efforts

The city of Little Rock determined that 588 properties in the city received major damage.^[11]

A representative of Little Rock's Walnut Valley stated that the recovery in the neighborhood, one of the most heavily affected out of the entire path, had been unsatisfactory. Frequent incidents of theft in the neighborhood led to a request for increased police presence, but the Little Rock Police Department responded with saying they lacked the staffing to do so. A separate statement from the police department and the mayor state that areas affected by the tornado were already receiving additional police patrol. One resident stated that a cul-de-sac in the neighborhood was being used for illegal dumping, while area roads were covered in nails and other debris.^[11]

Insurance claims

Over $489 million of insurance claims from Little Rock were paid by December 31, 2023, including from other area severe weather that day. One area policy holder reported that their $1100 monthly Farm Bureau policy rose $600 following the tornado, up to $1700 per month.^[12] Arkansas had the second highest insurance loss ratio in the United States in 2023 at 144% (i.e. $1.44 paid as compensation to $1.00 received by insurance companies).^[13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak</span> Deadly tornado outbreak in the southern United States

The 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak which affected the Southern United States and the lower Ohio Valley on February 5 and 6, 2008. The event began on Super Tuesday, while 24 states in the United States were holding primary elections and caucuses to select the presidential candidates for the upcoming presidential election. Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee were among the affected regions in which primaries were being held. Some voting locations were forced to close early due to the approaching severe weather.

The 2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak was a three-day-long tornado outbreak that impacted the central and lower Mississippi Valley from December 30, 2010 to January 1, 2011. Associated with a low pressure system and a strong cold front, 37 tornadoes tracked across five states over the length of the severe event, killing nine and injuring several others. Activity was centered in the states of Missouri and later Mississippi on December 31. Seven tornadoes were rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale; these were the strongest during the outbreak. Non-tornadic winds were recorded to have reached as high as 80 mph (130 km/h) at eight locations on December 31, while hail as large as 2.75 in (7.0 cm) was documented north-northeast of Mansfield, Missouri. Overall, damage from the outbreak totaled US$123.3 million, most of which was related to tornadoes. This is the most prolific tornado outbreak in Missouri in the month of December.

From April 14–16, 2011, a tornado outbreak, among the largest recorded tornado outbreaks in U.S. history, produced 178 confirmed tornadoes across 16 states, resulting in severe destruction on all three days of the outbreak. A total of 38 people were killed from tornadoes and an additional five people were killed as a result of straight-line winds associated with the storm system. The outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes led to 43 deaths in the Southern United States. This was the largest number of fatalities in an outbreak in the United States since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. It is locally referred to as the "Forgotten Outbreak" in Alabama as it was vastly overshadowed by the 2011 Super Outbreak less than two weeks later.

The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded, taking place in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States from April 25 to 28, 2011, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake. Over 175 tornadoes struck Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which were the most severely damaged states. Other destructive tornadoes occurred in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, and Virginia, with storms also affecting other states in the Southern and Eastern United States. In total, 367 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and Government of Canada's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak. April 27 was the most active day, with a record 223 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF5, which is the highest ranking on the Enhanced Fujita scale; typically these tornadoes are recorded no more than once a year.

From May 21 to May 26, 2011, one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record affected the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States. A six-day tornado outbreak sequence, most of the tornadoes developed in a corridor from Lake Superior southwest to central Texas, while isolated tornadoes occurred in other areas. An especially destructive EF5 tornado destroyed one-third of Joplin, Missouri, resulting in 158 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. The Joplin tornado was the deadliest in the United States since April 9, 1947, when an intense tornado killed 181 in the Woodward, Oklahoma, area. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. Overall, the tornado outbreak resulted in 186 deaths, 8 of those non-tornadic, making it second only to the 2011 Super Outbreak as the deadliest since 1974. It was the second costliest tornado outbreak in United States history behind that same April 2011 outbreak, with insured damage estimated at $4–7 billion.

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2012. Extremely destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, and somewhat regularly in Europe, Asia, Argentina, and Australia.

A relatively widespread, damaging, and deadly tornado outbreak struck the central and southern United States in late April 2014. The storm complex responsible for the outbreak produced multiple long-track tornadoes – seven of which were deadly, causing 35 fatalities. One additional death occurred in Florida, due to severe flooding associated with this system.

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2019. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.

A widespread and deadly tornado outbreak affected the Southeastern United States on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 12–13, 2020. Several tornadoes were responsible for prompting tornado emergencies, including the first one to be issued by the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina. A large squall line formed and tracked through the mid-Atlantic on April 13, prompting more tornado warnings and watches. A total of 15 watches were produced during the course of the event, two of which were designated Particularly Dangerous Situations.

A significant tornado outbreak sequence took place from March 24–28, 2021 in the Southern United States, just one week after another outbreak affected similar regions. There were 43 tornadoes confirmed across 11 states, with the bulk of activity primarily on March 25, which resulted in the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issuing its second high-risk outlook for the month of March, as well as the second high-risk outlook for 2021. Several intense tornadoes touched down on that day, including ones that prompted the issuance of rare tornado emergencies near Hoover, Alabama, Brent and Centreville, Alabama, and in the Newnan, Georgia area. March 27 also saw widespread tornado activity mainly across East Texas, Southern Arkansas, Louisiana, and Western Tennessee with several strong tornadoes touching down. Scattered to widespread wind and hail damage occurred throughout the outbreak sequence, and repeated rounds of heavy rain caused widespread severe flash and river flooding across much of Tennessee.

A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. The event developed as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with an unseasonably moist and unstable environment across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado activity began in northeastern Arkansas, before progressing into Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2022. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. Worldwide, 32 tornado-related deaths were confirmed: 23 in the United States, three in China, two each in Poland and Russia, and one each in the Netherlands and Ukraine.

A significant late-season tornado outbreak took place on November 4, 2022, across Northeast Texas, southwestern Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma, and northwestern Louisiana with multiple large, destructive tornadoes occurring over a span of several hours. Major damage was reported in Sulphur Springs, Powderly, Caviness, Paris, Cason, Daingerfield, Athens, New Boston, Texas, and Idabel, Oklahoma, with the latter two communities being placed under tornado emergencies. Two fatalities occurred in Cason, Texas, and Pickens, Oklahoma, respectively. Numerous PDS tornado warnings were issued as well. An additional tornado embedded within a narrow, but intense line of showers with damaging winds was also confirmed in Illinois the following morning as the system progressed eastward. Strong winds affected most of the western Great Lakes throughout the day before moving into Canada that evening. Two fatalities and at least 34 injuries were confirmed from tornadoes, and an additional fatality occurred near Stilwell, Oklahoma, from drowning.

This is a list of notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2023. Strong, destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh and East India, but can occur almost anywhere. Tornadoes develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer, and at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. They are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including thunderstorms, strong winds, and large hail. Worldwide, 116 tornado-related deaths were confirmed – 83 in the United States, 12 in China, nine in Indonesia, eight in Myanmar, three in Turkey, and one in Saudi Arabia.

A widespread, deadly, and historic tornado outbreak affected large portions of the Midwestern, Southern and Eastern United States on March 31 and April 1, 2023, the result of an extratropical cyclone that also produced blizzard conditions in the Upper Midwest. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a rare high risk for severe weather in two areas of the Mississippi Valley on March 31, the first high risk issuance since March 25, 2021. Approximately 28 million people were placed under tornado watches, including multiple PDS tornado watches, from the evening of March 31 through the overnight hours into the morning of April 1. This included the Little Rock, St. Louis, Chicago, and Memphis metropolitan areas, all of which were hit by multiple rounds of severe squall lines and supercell thunderstorms that produced damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. EF3 tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Illinois prompted the issuance of tornado emergencies and multiple mass casualty incidents were declared for some of the hardest hit areas. One of these tornadoes was a high-end EF3 tornado that passed through the northern Little Rock metro, causing extensive damage and dozens of injuries. The strongest tornado was a low-end EF4 tornado that swept away homes on the west side of Keota, Iowa. The Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois collapsed during a concert due to an EF1 tornado, injuring up to 40 concertgoers and killing one. Severe and tornadic weather also affected the Northeastern United States in the afternoon and evening of April 1, including a rare EF3 tornado that caused a death in Sussex County, Delaware. At certain points of the outbreak, over 20 simultaneous tornado warnings were active, with a total of 175 tornado warnings issued on March 31 with an additional 51 issued on April 1.

A significant early spring tornado outbreak occurred throughout the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, with the most significant impacts occurring in Indiana and Ohio. More than two dozen tornadoes occurred, eight of them strong to intense. National Weather Service offices issued multiple 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' tornado warnings. Strong tornadoes produced major damage in the communities of Selma and Winchester in Indiana, and Fryburg and Lakeview in Ohio. One person died in Winchester, and three people were killed in Lakeview. Other significant tornadoes caused damage in Kansas, Arkansas, and Kentucky, with scattered weak tornadoes confirmed in several other states.

A multi-day period of significant tornado activity along with significant derechos occurred across the Midwestern United States and the Mississippi Valley as well as an additional tornado in the Canadian province of Quebec. From May 19–27, 2024, two derechos occurred and tornadoes were reported across large portions of the Central United States, with multiple Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) watches issued across the sequence. On May 19, strong tornadoes occurred with isolated supercells in Colorado and Oklahoma while a derecho produced widespread wind damage and weak tornadoes across Kansas into the early morning hours of May 20. Limited tornadic activity took place on May 20, but another outbreak along with widespread damage struck mainly Iowa and Wisconsin on May 21. Five fatalities were confirmed with a large, violent, long-tracked EF4 tornado that went through Greenfield, Iowa. Scattered to widespread severe weather and tornadoes occurred over the next two days, including an EF2 tornado that injured 30 people on the west side of Temple, Texas. Another derecho formed in southwestern Nebraska late on May 23 and moved eastward, producing widespread wind damage and weak tornadoes through Nebraska and Iowa and northwestern Illinois before withering away in the northern part of the state during the morning hours of May 24.

The 2023 Wynne–Parkin tornado was a large, deadly, and destructive rain-wrapped wedge tornado that struck the cities and communities of Wynne, Parkin, Earle, Turrell, and Drummonds in Arkansas and Tennessee on the afternoon of March 31, 2023. The tornado caused considerable damage to Wynne and significant to severe damage to areas around northeastern Arkansas and western Tennessee, killing four people, injuring 16 others, and causing $150.5 million in damage. The tornado was on the ground for 1 hour, 24 minutes and had a total path length of 73 miles (117 km), with a total path width of 1,600 yards . This tornado was a part of the historic tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023, and it was the costliest tornado of the outbreak. It was also the second-longest tracked tornado of the outbreak, behind the Bethel Springs EF3 tornado. The tornado was also the second-largest tornado in the outbreak.

In the evening hours of April 27, 2014, a large and destructive wedge tornado would move through several communities northwest of Little Rock, located in Arkansas. Part of a larger outbreak of severe weather, the tornado would devastate the towns of Paron, Mayflower, Lake Conway, Vilonia and El Paso, killing sixteen people and inuring over one hundred more. The tornado would retain peak windspeeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) as it moved through the town of Vilonia, where eight fatalities would be recorded.

In the early hours of December 11, 2021, two large and strong tornadoes would hit the city of Bowling Green, located in Warren County, Kentucky. The first tornado cut a swath of EF3 damage through city and directly killed sixteen people, while the second tornado produced EF2 damage but no injuries or fataliites. The tornadoes touched down as part of a larger tornado outbreak that hit the southern United States, and the first tornado was the second-deadliest of the entire outbreak.

References

1 2 3 Storm Events Database (LZK survey MARTINDALE, 2023-03-31 13:18 CST-6) (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information . Retrieved December 10, 2024.
1 2 Storm Events Database (LZK survey SOUTH BEND, 2023-03-31 13:47 CST-6) (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information . Retrieved December 10, 2024.
↑ "Mar 31, 2023 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. March 31, 2023.
↑ "NWS Little Rock, AR - Destructive Tornadoes on March 31, 2023". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
↑ "Storm Events Database Search Results for all U.S. States and Areas". National Centers for Environmental Information.
↑ "March 31, 2023 - The Little Rock EF-3 Tornado". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas. March 18, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
↑ Zeringue, Neale (April 3, 2023). "1 killed by tornado in Amboy North Little Rock neighborhood". KARK-TV . Retrieved January 10, 2025.
↑ "At least 5 people dead after 'catastrophic' storms move through Arkansas". THV11. March 31, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
↑ Hennigan, Mary (April 28, 2023). "Reservoir Park could take years to return to normalcy, director says". Arkansas Times . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
↑ "Survivor Tree seedlings donated to Uvalde, Waukesha, and Little Rock in wake of recent tragedies". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. September 12, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
1 2 3 Hennigan, Mary (March 30, 2024). "A year of recovery: Little Rock is still picking up the pieces from the March 2023 tornado". Arkansas Times . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
↑ Hampton, Tylisa (February 14, 2024). "Arkansans feel impact of increased insurance rates". KARK-TV . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
↑ "Arkansas homeowners face soaring insurance rates in 2024 Here's why". Arkansas Business Publishing Group. September 17, 2024.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[martindale-1] 1 2 3 Storm Events Database (LZK survey MARTINDALE, 2023-03-31 13:18 CST-6) (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information . Retrieved December 10, 2024.

[south_bend-2] 1 2 Storm Events Database (LZK survey SOUTH BEND, 2023-03-31 13:47 CST-6) (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information . Retrieved December 10, 2024.

[3] "Mar 31, 2023 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. March 31, 2023.

[lr31-4] "NWS Little Rock, AR - Destructive Tornadoes on March 31, 2023". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas . Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[5] "Storm Events Database Search Results for all U.S. States and Areas". National Centers for Environmental Information.

[storymap-6] "March 31, 2023 - The Little Rock EF-3 Tornado". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas. March 18, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.

[7] Zeringue, Neale (April 3, 2023). "1 killed by tornado in Amboy North Little Rock neighborhood". KARK-TV . Retrieved January 10, 2025.

[8] "At least 5 people dead after 'catastrophic' storms move through Arkansas". THV11. March 31, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

[9] Hennigan, Mary (April 28, 2023). "Reservoir Park could take years to return to normalcy, director says". Arkansas Times . Retrieved January 13, 2025.

[10] "Survivor Tree seedlings donated to Uvalde, Waukesha, and Little Rock in wake of recent tragedies". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. September 12, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

[recovery1-11] 1 2 3 Hennigan, Mary (March 30, 2024). "A year of recovery: Little Rock is still picking up the pieces from the March 2023 tornado". Arkansas Times . Retrieved January 13, 2025.

[12] Hampton, Tylisa (February 14, 2024). "Arkansans feel impact of increased insurance rates". KARK-TV . Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[13] "Arkansas homeowners face soaring insurance rates in 2024 Here's why". Arkansas Business Publishing Group. September 17, 2024.

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[1]

[2]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]