NWS Little Rock, AR - Text Viewer

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR MORE SURVEY INFO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
515 PM CST THU FEB 7 2008

...TORNADO SURVEYS IN VAN BUREN...STONE...IZARD...AND SHARP
COUNTIES...

TWO TEAMS FROM THE THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK
SURVEYED EXTENSIVE TORNADO DAMAGE IN PORTIONS OF VAN BUREN...
STONE...IZARD AND SHARP COUNTIES.

...VAN BUREN...STONE...AND IZARD COUNTIES...

ONE TEAM WORKED FROM AROUND THE SHIRLEY AREA OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
NORTHEAST THROUGH PORTIONS OF STONE COUNTY AND MUCH OF IZARD COUNTY
TO AROUND ZION.

THE WORST DAMAGE WAS FOUND AROUND THE ZION AREA...WITH THE TORNADO
RATED AS AT LEAST EF3. SEVERAL NEWER HOUSES WERE DESTROYED...WITH A
SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE THROWN SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS. A JEEP WAS FOUND
IN A TREE.

THERE WAS A SPOT IN STONE COUNTY AROUND TURKEY CREEK WHERE DAMAGE
WAS VERY MINIMAL. HOWEVER...THE DAMAGE PATH WAS CONTINUOUS...WITH NO
GAPS NOTED.

...STONE AND SHARP COUNTIES...

THE OTHER TEAM VIEWED DAMAGE AROUND MOUNTAIN VIEW IN STONE
COUNTY...AND THEN HEADED TO ASH FLAT AND HIGHLAND IN SHARP COUNTY.
DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE IN BOTH AREAS...WITH A CAR DEALERSHIP HEAVILY
DAMAGED IN MOUNTAIN VIEW AND A STRIP SHOPPING CENTER AND A CHURCH
FLATTENED IN HIGHLAND. HOMES AND BUSINESSES WERE DAMAGED OR
DESTROYED AS WELL. IN SOME SPOTS...AT LEAST EF3 DAMAGE WAS FOUND.

AGAIN...DAMAGE FOUND BY THE TEAM WAS IN A CONTINUOUS PATH.

...QUICK RESPONSE TEAM AND FLIGHT...

A QUICK RESPONSE TEAM WILL BE IN ARKANSAS ON FRIDAY TO VIEW SOME OF
THE WORST DAMAGE FROM ATKINS IN POPE COUNTY TO CLINTON IN VAN BUREN
COUNTY TO MOUNTAIN VIEW IN STONE COUNTY TO ZION IN IZARD COUNTY TO
HIGHLAND IN SHARP COUNTY. THIS TEAM WILL DETERMINE IF MORE THAN AN
EF3 RATING WAS ACHIEVED AT ONE OR MORE LOCATIONS.

IN ADDITION...A FLIGHT WILL TAKE PLACE OVER THE ENTIRE DAMAGE PATH
TO DETERMINE IF A SINGLE TORNADO WAS RESPONSIBLE...OR IF SEVERAL
TORNADOES WERE SPAWNED.

IT IS HOPED THAT FINAL DAMAGE RATINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE BY FRIDAY
AFTERNOON.

...ONE MORE TORNADO...

OF COURSE...A SEPARATE STORM PRODUCED A TORNADO AT GASSVILLE IN
BAXTER COUNTY...WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE NOTED.

THE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM WAS SURVEYED TODAY. THE
TORNADO STARTED 4 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF REA VALLEY IN MARION
COUNTY...AND DISSIPATED 3 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF MOUNTAIN HOME IN
BAXTER COUNTY. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 14 MILES...THE WIDTH WAS AROUND
ONE HALF MILE...AND THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2.

...OTHER NOTE...

OVERALL...THERE WERE THIRTEEN PEOPLE KILLED THUS FAR IN THIS SEVERE
WEATHER OUTBREAK. THIS IS THE DEADLIEST OUTBREAK SINCE MARCH 1
1997...WHEN 25 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES.

...SURVEYORS...

THE WERE THREE SURVEY TEAMS TODAY. THE FIRST TEAM WAS STEVE
BAYS...SERVICE HYDROLOGIST...AND DAN KOCH...INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
OFFICER. THE SECOND TEAM WAS JOHN ROBINSON...WARNING COORDINATION
METEOROLOGIST...AND RENEE FAIR...METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE. THEY ARE
ALL FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK.

THE THIRD SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN MARION AND BAXTER COUNTIES BY ED
CALIANESE...THE WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST AT THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA OKLAHOMA. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
LITTLE ROCK WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIM FOR HIS ASSISTANCE.

$$

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