National Weather Service Raw Text Product

402 
NOUS44 KTSA 150134
PNSTSA
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-151345-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
834 PM CDT SUN OCT 14 2012

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 10/13/12 TORNADO EVENT...

.OVERVIEW...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE REGION. THESE
STORMS MOVED INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS
DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS OF THE 13TH. THERE
WERE A NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES OF DAMAGING WIND AS THESE STORMS
MOVED ACROSS THE AREA AND ONE OF THE STORMS PRODUCED A TORNADO IN
BENTON COUNTY ARKANSAS.

.ROGERS ARKANSAS TORNADO...

RATING: EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 90 TO 100 MPH 
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 12.5 MILES 
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 450 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0  
INJURIES: 2

START DATE:             OCTOBER 13 2012 
START TIME:             936 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         4 NNE CAVE SPRINGS / BENTON COUNTY / AR
START LAT/LON:          36.32 / -94.21

END DATE:               OCTOBER 13 2012
END TIME:               952 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           3 NE AVOCA / BENTON COUNTY / AR 
END LAT/LON:            36.44 / -94.05

SURVEY SUMMARY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA METEOROLOGIST
AND BENTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SURVEYED STORM
DAMAGE TODAY THAT OCCURRED SATURDAY EVENING ACROSS BENTON COUNTY
ARKANSAS. DAMAGE THAT WAS INVESTIGATED WAS STRONGLY INDICATIVE OF
TORNADO DAMAGE WITH TREES AND SIGNS BEING BLOWN DOWN IN A STRONGLY
CONVERGENT NATURE THROUGHOUT THE PATH. 

THE TORNADO DEVELOPED NORTH-NORTHEAST OF CAVE SPRINGS...EAST OF
RAINBOW ROAD AND SOUTH OF STONY BROOK ROAD. THE TORNADO MOVED
NORTHEAST ACROSS A SUBDIVISION SNAPPING OR UPROOTING A NUMBER OF
TREES AND DAMAGING HOMES. ABOUT 450 YARDS WIDE...IT THEN MOVED
ACROSS A COMMERCIAL AREA ON THE WEST SIDE OF ROGERS WHERE IT
REMOVED PART OF THE ROOF OF A COMMERCIAL BUILDING...BLEW LARGE
GLASS WINDOWS OUT OF ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BUILDING...DAMAGED A
NUMBER OF OTHER BUILDINGS... SNAPPED OR UPROOTED A NUMBER OF
TREES...AND SNAPPED POWER POLES. DEBRIS IMPACTED A VEHICLE...
IMPALING THE WINDSHIELD WITH A PIECE OF 2X4 WOOD AND SHATTERING 
SEVERAL OF THE WINDOWS. TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED BY GLASS AND
FLYING DEBRIS IN THE VEHICLE. DAMAGE IN THIS AREA INDICATED WIND
SPEED IN THE TORNADO WAS AS MUCH AS 90 TO 100 MPH.

THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED I-540 AND WENT ACROSS ANOTHER SUBDIVISION
OF HOMES. MANY TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED AND HOMES WERE
DAMAGED. TREE DAMAGE BECAME LESS CONCENTRATED FOR A BIT AFTER THE
TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 94 BUT WAS INTERMITTENTLY STILL IN THE
EF-1 CATEGORY. DAMAGE NORTHEAST OF AVOCA WAS ONCE AGAIN VERY
CONCENTRATED WITH A NUMBER OF SNAPPED OR UPROOTED TREES AS WELL AS
HOME AND BARN DAMAGE. IT DISSIPATED IN THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE
PEA RIDGE NATIONAL MILITARY PARK.

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. PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE
IN TULSA IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS TORNADO
THAT MAY HELP COMPLETE OUR ANALYSIS OF THE EVENT.

$$

EJC