A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck Arkansas In 1997… And No One Saw It Coming

Not so fun fact: Arkansas happens to be in Tornado Alley (or, more appropriately, Dixie Alley), and we’re accustomed to tornado sirens in the spring. What happened in March of 1997, however, was exceptionally horrible for the breadth of damage, the number of counties impacted, and the horrific loss of life that occurred. When it comes to tornadoes in Arkansas, it seldom gets scarier than it did in 1997.

On March 1st, 1997, Arkansas experienced its most deadly tornado outbreak since 1968.

During the 1968 tornado outbreak, 34 people died. In the 1997 outbreak, that number was 25.

The 1997 outbreak produced 19 tornadoes that ripped through 26 Arkansas counties.

Of those 19 tornadoes, three were classified as F4.

An F4 - now called an EF4 thanks to the Enhanced Fujita Scale - is the second-highest rating a storm can possibly get.

F5/EF5 are the highest - and the scariest - but the fact that EF4s now happen with more frequency is a bit terrifying.

Here is an example of F4 damage:

It's just short of total and utter destruction; on this day, Arkansas had three.

Here is another example of F4 damage, this one from the fairly recent Vilonia, Arkansas tornado:

That's gonna be a nope from us. People in the path of the storms had warnings with lead times of between nine and 28 minutes.

Unfortunately, that was not enough time.

Two of those F4 tornadoes were the most deadly of the system. They killed 21 people. The third F4 was briefly on the ground in Mississippi County, but most of the damage from that storm happened after it crossed the border into Tennessee. Of the five counties with death tolls, Saline County was hit the hardest. Saline County communities lost 10 people that day. Second to Saline County was Clark County, which saw the loss of six lives. All six deaths occurred in Arkadelphia. Pulaski County lost five citizens, Jackson County lost three, and Greene County lost one. Despite the terrible tragedies that faced the residents of those counties, now the communities are stronger than ever.

Check out this news coverage of the storm system and resulting damage. Near the beginning of the video, you can see neighbors helping each other despite the devastation around them:

What do you think of this storm? Do you remember when it happened? Tell us your harrowing tales of survival in the comments! Visiting our beautiful state and need ideas for stuff to do? Check out all the cool options from our friends at Airbnb Experiences.