On the afternoon of March 31,2023,a high-end EF3 tornado struck Little Rock and the North Little Rock subdivisions of Martindale and Indian Hills,as well as Jacksonville and areas south of Cabot,in Arkansas,United States. The tornado,the first of the historic March 31 outbreak,would move through heavily populated areas of the Little Rock metro while also causing significant damage to multiple parks.
Numerous casualties,estimated at 600 at one point,were reported,alongside one indirect fatality and widespread damage primarily in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Significant damage occurred to structures,with nearly 600 receiving major damage,and damage to forested areas produced a significant volume of organic debris. Cleanup and recovery efforts were still underway a year later. The Walnut Valley neighborhood of Little Rock was the most heavily affected,however,recovery efforts in the area were criticized for crime and a weakening rebuilding effort. Widespread effects to insurance rates in Arkansas occurred in the aftermath of the tornado and other severe weather in the region.
Radar loop highlighting Arkansas and the evolution of the Little Rock and Wynne supercells
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 1:18pm. The National Weather Service in Little Rock issued a tornado warning at 2:03pm 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 2:18p.m. in the Martindale subdivision of Little Rock, becoming the first to touch down of the March 31 outbreak.[5]
Tornado summary
Damage from the tornado primarily affected residential areas of the Little Rock metro
Formation and Martindale
At 2:03pm, 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
The most intense damage produced by the tornado in the Walnut Valley neighborhood of Little Rock
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 (99,000m3) of organic debris, including piles up to 20 feet (6.1m) 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] In August 2024, the Arkansas Association of the Deaf held courses to increase disaster preparedness for the regional deaf community after electricity and means to be alerted to severe weather were cut during and following the Little Rock tornado.[12]
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, where the most devastating damage occurred,[6] 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.[11] 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.[13] 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).[14]
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