FYI: National Weather Service, Tulsa damage survey of Arkansas EF2 and EF1 tornadoes in their coverage area Tuesday

(NOTE: THE EF2 tornado mentioned below for Natural Dam, Arkansas, developed in extreme northeastern Sequoyah County in Oklahoma.

ALSO, From Gary McManus of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey: That’s the first tornado to touchdown in Oklahoma since an EF1 twister touched down 3 miles SW of Healdton on October 13, 2012. That twister injured two people, but luckily no fatalities. The January 29 tornado of this year is only the 17th confirmed twister to touch down in the state during the year’s first month.)

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK

…NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 1/29/2013 TORNADO EVENT…

.UPDATE…ADDITIONAL DETAILS FOR THE NATURAL DAM TORNADO ARE INCLUDED
AND TO AN ADDITIONAL TORNADO WAS CONFIRMED DURING THIS EVENT…

.NATURAL DAM ARKANSAS TORNADO…

RATING:                 EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    110-120 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  9 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   700 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             JANUARY 29 2013
START TIME:             255 PM CST
START LOCATION:         3.4 NE SHORT / SEQUOYAH COUNTY / OK
START LAT/LON:          35.605 / -94.498

END DATE:               JANUARY 29 2013
END TIME:               304 PM CST
END LOCATION:           3.9 N NATURAL DAM / CRAWFORD COUNTY / AR
END LAT/LON:            35.704 / -94.394

SURVEY SUMMARY; THIS TORNADO DEVELOPED IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN
SEQUOYAH COUNTY OKLAHOMA AND MOVED RAPIDLY NORTHEAST TO THE NORTH
OF NATURAL DAM ARKANSAS IN CRAWFORD COUNTY. IT MOVED THROUGH RURAL
AREAS OF BOTH COUNTIES SNAPPING AND UPROOTING MANY HARDWOOD AND
SOFTWOOD TREES IN THE PATH. THE MOST PRONOUNCED DAMAGE TO TREES
OCCURRED ON RAINWATER ROAD NORTHWEST OF UNIONTOWN IN CRAWFORD
COUNTY WHERE THE TORNADO TORE A PATH THROUGH THE WOODS OF MORE
THAN ONE THIRD OF A MILE WIDE. POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED AND A
HOUSE HAD MINOR DAMAGE WITHIN THE 9 MILE LONG PATH.

.ELKINS ARKANSAS TORNADO…

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    95 TO 105 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  4.2 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   400 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             JANUARY 29 2013
START TIME:             334 PM CST
START LOCATION:         3.5 WNW ELKINS / WASHINGTON COUNTY / AR
START LAT/LON:          36.024 / -94.064

END DATE:               JANUARY 29 2013
END TIME:               339 PM CST
END LOCATION:           4.5 N ELKINS / WASHINGTON COUNTY / AR
END LAT/LON:            36.071 / -94.004

SURVEY SUMMARY: THIS TORNADO DAMAGED 40 TO 50 HOMES…THE WORST
OF WHICH HAD PORTIONS OF THEIR ROOFS BLOWN OFF. NUMEROUS TREES
WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED AND POWER POLES WERE BLOWN DOWN. SEVERAL
CHICKEN HOUSES AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED.

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0…WEAK……65 TO 85 MPH
EF1…WEAK……86 TO 110 MPH
EF2…STRONG….111 TO 135 MPH
EF3…STRONG….136 TO 165 MPH
EF4…VIOLENT…166 TO 200 MPH
EF5…VIOLENT…>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.

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