Update: EF1 Tornado Touches down Overnight in Sheridan, Other Arkansas Storm Damage
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: December 20, 2012
Update (11:30):
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock says the Grant County tornado this morning is rated EF1.
Update (9:15 a.m.):
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock tells KARK 4 News the storm that struck right outside Sheridan early this morning was a tornado.
The NWS says a storm survey this morning found what is described as "definite tornado damage" on Grant County Rd. 43 and Shoemaker Road, about 1 mile WSW of the Sheridan city limits.
NWS surveyors are working to determine the rating of the tornado, which left damage described below.
The NWS photo below shows a mobile home that was destroyed by the tornado.
Original story (8:00 a.m.):
Some Grant County residents are cleaning up this morning after overnight storms left damage on their property.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock has sent surveyors to Sheridan to determine if the damage was caused by a tornado or just a thunderstorm.
The NWS reported at 1:25 this morning that a mobile home and several sheds were damaged or destroyed west of Sheridan and that there was one injury. Several trees were downed with some of them on houses and vehicles and trees were also blocking roads, the NWS said.
The video attached to this story shows damage along Shoemaker Road, on the west side of Sheridan. That's where a carport collapsed onto a car. There were also a lot of tree limbs scattered around as well as debris in the road.
"We didn't really hear anything other than it sounded like hail for just a few minutes. My husband said 'Boy, that's some big hail' and it wasn't long until we saw flashing lights and we got up. I looked out the window and that's when I saw the tree in the yard and saw that there was something across the road," Sheridan homeowner Joan Roberts told KARK this morning. "A lot of wind not a a lot of rain. I didn't hear a roar or anything like that. It was a lot of stuff hitting and, like I said, we thought it was hail at first."
"We're still assessing damage this morning. We couldn't really do a lot of that at night, so we're back at the daylight hours trying to determine just how extensive the damage is," said Grant County Emergency Management Coordinator Randy Pruitt.
"Well, I woke up. I heard the rain, then I heard this loud very, very loud roaring noise and then I started hearing all these popping noises, and then I hit the floor," said Homeowner Suellen Waters. "I just think I'm alive and my family is alive through the grace of God."
The NWS says its surveyors are also headed to Monroe County to assess a trail of damage from north of Almyra to southwest of Blackton.
The late night/early morning storms that same through Arkansas also contained what the NWS describes as mud rain. The weather agency says it came from a Wednesday dust storm in West Texas that blew into Arkansas with the rain. The result, lots of dirty cars today.
Latest storm damage reports from the NWS:
0240 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 NE CASSCOE 34.53N 91.30W
12/20/2012 ARKANSAS AR TRAINED SPOTTER
A TREE WAS DOWNED ON RIVER ROAD TOWARD PRESTON FERRY. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH.
0145 AM TSTM WND DMG WHITE HALL 34.28N 92.10W
12/20/2012 JEFFERSON AR TRAINED SPOTTER
TREES WERE DOWNED AT WHITE HALL WITH WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 60 TO 70 MPH.
0130 AM TSTM WND DMG SHERIDAN 34.31N 92.41W
12/20/2012 GRANT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED...WITH POWER OUTAGES NOTED.
0125 AM TSTM WND DMG 3 WSW SHERIDAN 34.29N 92.45W
12/20/2012 GRANT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
*** 1 INJ *** A POSSIBLE BRIEF TORNADO WAS SPAWNED. A MOBILE HOME AND SEVERAL SHEDS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED...WITH SOME TREES ON HOUSES AND VEHICLES. TREES
WERE ALSO BLOCKING ROADS.
1255 AM TSTM WND DMG DONALDSON 34.23N 92.92W
12/20/2012 HOT SPRING AR STORM CHASER
TREES WERE DOWNED IN THE AREA.
1250 AM TSTM WND DMG JOAN 34.12N 92.93W
12/20/2012 CLARK AR STORM CHASER
TREES WERE DOWNED IN AND AROUND TOWN.
1235 AM TSTM WND DMG ARKADELPHIA 34.12N 93.07W
12/20/2012 CLARK AR PUBLIC
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 8 SOUTHWEST OF TOWN.
1225 AM TSTM WND DMG ROYAL 34.52N 93.23W
12/20/2012 GARLAND AR EMERGENCY MNGR
A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED ON COUNTY ROADS WITH POWER OUT AT ROYAL.
1210 AM TSTM WND DMG 3 SE PERRYVILLE 34.98N 92.77W
12/20/2012 PERRY AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES ARE DOWN IN HARRIS BRAKE LAKE ALONG WITH THE POWER BEING OUT. TREES ARE ALSO DOWN ON WESTGATE DRIVE IN PERRYVILLE AND IN NIMROD.
1200 AM TSTM WND DMG MURFREESBORO 34.06N 93.69W
12/20/2012 PIKE AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED IN AND AROUND TOWN.
1130 PM TSTM WND DMG PLAINVIEW 34.99N 93.30W
12/19/2012 YELL AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 7.
1055 PM TSTM WND DMG HAGARVILLE 35.52N 93.32W
12/19/2012 JOHNSON AR EMERGENCY MNGR
A ROOF WAS DAMAGED ON A HOME IN HAGARVILLE.
1040 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 E WALDRON 34.90N 94.01W
12/19/2012 SCOTT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 80 EAST OF WALDRON.
1040 PM TSTM WND DMG Y CITY 34.73N 94.08W
12/19/2012 SCOTT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES WERE DOWNED AT Y CITY.
1020 PM TSTM WND GST CAULKSVILLE 35.30N 93.87W
12/19/2012 M63.00 MPH LOGAN AR STORM CHASER
A STORM CHASER MEASURED A 63 MPH GUST.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock says the Grant County tornado this morning is rated EF1.
Update (9:15 a.m.):
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock tells KARK 4 News the storm that struck right outside Sheridan early this morning was a tornado.
The NWS says a storm survey this morning found what is described as "definite tornado damage" on Grant County Rd. 43 and Shoemaker Road, about 1 mile WSW of the Sheridan city limits.
NWS surveyors are working to determine the rating of the tornado, which left damage described below.
The NWS photo below shows a mobile home that was destroyed by the tornado.
Original story (8:00 a.m.):
Some Grant County residents are cleaning up this morning after overnight storms left damage on their property.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock has sent surveyors to Sheridan to determine if the damage was caused by a tornado or just a thunderstorm.
The NWS reported at 1:25 this morning that a mobile home and several sheds were damaged or destroyed west of Sheridan and that there was one injury. Several trees were downed with some of them on houses and vehicles and trees were also blocking roads, the NWS said.
The video attached to this story shows damage along Shoemaker Road, on the west side of Sheridan. That's where a carport collapsed onto a car. There were also a lot of tree limbs scattered around as well as debris in the road.
"We didn't really hear anything other than it sounded like hail for just a few minutes. My husband said 'Boy, that's some big hail' and it wasn't long until we saw flashing lights and we got up. I looked out the window and that's when I saw the tree in the yard and saw that there was something across the road," Sheridan homeowner Joan Roberts told KARK this morning. "A lot of wind not a a lot of rain. I didn't hear a roar or anything like that. It was a lot of stuff hitting and, like I said, we thought it was hail at first."
"We're still assessing damage this morning. We couldn't really do a lot of that at night, so we're back at the daylight hours trying to determine just how extensive the damage is," said Grant County Emergency Management Coordinator Randy Pruitt.
"Well, I woke up. I heard the rain, then I heard this loud very, very loud roaring noise and then I started hearing all these popping noises, and then I hit the floor," said Homeowner Suellen Waters. "I just think I'm alive and my family is alive through the grace of God."
The NWS says its surveyors are also headed to Monroe County to assess a trail of damage from north of Almyra to southwest of Blackton.
The late night/early morning storms that same through Arkansas also contained what the NWS describes as mud rain. The weather agency says it came from a Wednesday dust storm in West Texas that blew into Arkansas with the rain. The result, lots of dirty cars today.
Latest storm damage reports from the NWS:
0240 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 NE CASSCOE 34.53N 91.30W
12/20/2012 ARKANSAS AR TRAINED SPOTTER
A TREE WAS DOWNED ON RIVER ROAD TOWARD PRESTON FERRY. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH.
0145 AM TSTM WND DMG WHITE HALL 34.28N 92.10W
12/20/2012 JEFFERSON AR TRAINED SPOTTER
TREES WERE DOWNED AT WHITE HALL WITH WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 60 TO 70 MPH.
0130 AM TSTM WND DMG SHERIDAN 34.31N 92.41W
12/20/2012 GRANT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED...WITH POWER OUTAGES NOTED.
0125 AM TSTM WND DMG 3 WSW SHERIDAN 34.29N 92.45W
12/20/2012 GRANT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
*** 1 INJ *** A POSSIBLE BRIEF TORNADO WAS SPAWNED. A MOBILE HOME AND SEVERAL SHEDS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED...WITH SOME TREES ON HOUSES AND VEHICLES. TREES
WERE ALSO BLOCKING ROADS.
1255 AM TSTM WND DMG DONALDSON 34.23N 92.92W
12/20/2012 HOT SPRING AR STORM CHASER
TREES WERE DOWNED IN THE AREA.
1250 AM TSTM WND DMG JOAN 34.12N 92.93W
12/20/2012 CLARK AR STORM CHASER
TREES WERE DOWNED IN AND AROUND TOWN.
1235 AM TSTM WND DMG ARKADELPHIA 34.12N 93.07W
12/20/2012 CLARK AR PUBLIC
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 8 SOUTHWEST OF TOWN.
1225 AM TSTM WND DMG ROYAL 34.52N 93.23W
12/20/2012 GARLAND AR EMERGENCY MNGR
A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED ON COUNTY ROADS WITH POWER OUT AT ROYAL.
1210 AM TSTM WND DMG 3 SE PERRYVILLE 34.98N 92.77W
12/20/2012 PERRY AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES ARE DOWN IN HARRIS BRAKE LAKE ALONG WITH THE POWER BEING OUT. TREES ARE ALSO DOWN ON WESTGATE DRIVE IN PERRYVILLE AND IN NIMROD.
1200 AM TSTM WND DMG MURFREESBORO 34.06N 93.69W
12/20/2012 PIKE AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED IN AND AROUND TOWN.
1130 PM TSTM WND DMG PLAINVIEW 34.99N 93.30W
12/19/2012 YELL AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 7.
1055 PM TSTM WND DMG HAGARVILLE 35.52N 93.32W
12/19/2012 JOHNSON AR EMERGENCY MNGR
A ROOF WAS DAMAGED ON A HOME IN HAGARVILLE.
1040 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 E WALDRON 34.90N 94.01W
12/19/2012 SCOTT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG HIGHWAY 80 EAST OF WALDRON.
1040 PM TSTM WND DMG Y CITY 34.73N 94.08W
12/19/2012 SCOTT AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES WERE DOWNED AT Y CITY.
1020 PM TSTM WND GST CAULKSVILLE 35.30N 93.87W
12/19/2012 M63.00 MPH LOGAN AR STORM CHASER
A STORM CHASER MEASURED A 63 MPH GUST.
