It was the longest night of my life, and seeing the remains of the high school in the strobe-like lightning flashes after the tornado passed was a heartbreaking sight. The states most at risk were Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. It was a very terrifying experience. In total there have been at least 190 reports of severe weather in the last … more than 3 years ago. Day said there is a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott urged residents to stay home while debris is cleared out of roadways and other common areas. Working on injuries @Region8News pic.twitter.com/BSPxwrFQtJ. KATV Tornado touches down in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It's called Hurricane Drive because the school teams are called the Hurricanes. Storm damage in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Saturday. I was pregnant with my son at that time, and had a 2 1/2 year old daughter. The last tornado that did extensive damage in Jonesboro occurred in the early 1970s, when a twister struck a school in the city, Campbell said. You can imagine the horror as the family pulled itself from the rubble and began a frantic search for their child. … The damaged remains of a vehicle lie in a parking lot outside a damaged Ashley HomeStore after the tornado Saturday in Jonesboro. According to records, the largest tornado in the Jonesboro area was an F4 in 1973 that caused 289 injuries and 3 deaths. We ended up going back to sleep and the next morning when we started to head out of town we drove around a bit and I think it was over by the University that I saw the strangest site. The remains of a vehicle lie in a parking lot in front of a damaged Ashley HomeStore after a tornado stuck Saturday in Jonesboro, Ark. I didn't live here then. A massive tornado struck the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Saturday ar around 5 p.m local time, which left a devasting path of damage in its wake. Craighead County was under a tornado warning with there was a report of a tornado on the ground Thursday night near the Refuge Baptist Church in the western end of Lake City, Arkansas, 15 miles east of Jonesboro. I lived there through that tornado. A wind gust of 74mph was clocked at Jonesboro Municipal Airport at 5.05pm as the tornado moved through the area. Vance Lauderdale is the history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. A large tornado touched down in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on March 28, 2020, at around 5 p.m. local time. Tornado Information for Arkansas. Remembering the 1973 Jonesboro, Arkansas, Tornado. For more on how tornadoes are rated, meteorologist Shelly Lindblade has more here. Others were driving through the black night when they felt their vehicles swerve with the merciless rush of wind. And even though meteorologists had been following the storm on radar, their systems were fairly crude compared to the storm-tracking equipment available today, with the result being that by the time anyone realized what was happening, it was too late. 5:20 PM-Here is a look at the tornado that intensified and moved through Jonesboro, AR this evening around 5 PM. Copyright © 2020 Memphis Magazine. Today, very little remains of the 40-year-old disaster, and Jonesboro quickly rebuilt. Alice Lynch Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern U.S. were all affected from the 362 tornadoes that touched down. One family rushed to get all their children to safety in a central hallway of their home. ': Brown presses GOP lawmaker on election fraud claims, Birx says she 'always' considered quitting Trump's Covid-19 task force, Chuck Schumer announces timeline for Trump impeachment, 'We're left high and dry': Vulnerable seniors struggle to get vaccine, Race to vaccinate before more contagious Covid-19 strains spread, Biden zeroes in on the teetering economy in first week, Images show huge trench being dug by Russian-backed mercenaries, Former follower details the real danger of QAnon, Portland protesters explain why they are taking to the streets, Hank Aaron, baseball legend and former home run king, dies at 86, Ex-Trump official who supports Biden stimulus plan speaks out. It could have been much worse, of course. (AP) -- The coroner's office at Jonesboro and State Police Thursday night issued this list of the victims in Wednesday night's tornadoes in Northeast Arkansas: BILL SYKES, 55, of Nedham, Ark. Although we're technically on the outskirts of the boundaries of the nation's tornado alley, we're still on the map for other 'nader records. A second tornado occurred in … Within a few minutes, the damage was done, with the powerful winds erasing entire neighborhoods. The hotel had an outdoor pool in the middle of the complex and i remember going around to that area and seeing all kinds of things in the pool and there was a room right by the pool that we had to help someone get a bed or something off someone. ‘Like a bomb struck’. In Jonesboro, Arkansas, a violent tornado did damage in the town with six reported injuries. 244 days ago. As everyone focuses their attention on the devastating storm that swept across the Oklahoma City suburbs a few days ago, let's pause for a moment to recognize that this Memorial Day weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Jonesboro Tornado, one of the worst storms in the history of Arkansas. more than 4 years ago, Jonesboro mascot was always the hurricanes ... had nothing to do with the tornado, Donna holladay The search and rescue efforts were completed by Sunday morning, and responders are moving into the cleanup and recovery phases, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day said. March 29, 2020 at 3:01 p.m. UTC On a Saturday in which an outbreak of severe weather was predicted for the Midwest, a violent tornado ripped … A tornado ripped through Jonesboro on March 28, injuring 6 people. When it was finally over, the good news was that only three people were dead. For more on the Jonesboro tornado, read this from Saturday. Tornado caught on camera tearing through Jonesboro, Officials: Pregnant woman among 5 killed in 'mass murder', Dr. Birx: Trump presented graphs that I never made, Biden's HHS secretary pick: If we do this, we will get the pandemic under control, Rioter charged with threatening to 'assassinate' Ocasio-Cortez, officer, 'What research did you do? But we were safe. Other tornadoes struck Saturday, according to the weather service. Jonesboro E-911 Director Jeff Presley said a gas line also was ruptured, but no injuries were reported. ... At last report in Louisiana, ... 472 CR 766 Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 931-8888 . His dramatic life story is so well-known that schoolchildren are taught to recite it for extra credit. "We've already asked you to stay at home for this virus but we're really stressing to stay at home," Elliott said. This video from Lake City, Arkansas where a tornado did significant damage. A violent tornado ripped through the middle of Jonesboro around 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. Here's how local reporters described it: "Descriptions of sheer terror abounded throughout Jonesboro when survivors began coming out of their homes after the storm's fury had abated. My mom, her husband, my sister and I were traveling thru from Missouri on our way to Alabama and we stopped to spend the night at a hotel that was very close to a Walmart there in Jonesboro. more than 2 years ago. The bad news is that almost 300 citizens were seriously injured, many homes were completely gone, if not wrecked beyond repair, and city officials later calculated the tornado had inflicted more than $60 million damage on their town. A tornado tore through Jonesboro, Arkansas, leaving loads of property damage and at least six people injured.. I saw a car frame sitting on the side of the street with just the frame with the steering wheel and tires and maybe the engine but the rest of the car was gone. 5:20 PM-Here is a look at the tornado that intensified and moved through Jonesboro, AR this evening around 5 PM. A tornado ripped through Jonesboro, Arkansas, injuring 22 people and leaving a trail of flattened homes and buildings. The approaching winds had knocked out power to many areas anyway. The Walmart was destroyed. more than 3 years ago. Arkansas averages 26 tornados per year, resulting in an average of 6 fatalities. Nevertheless, the fact that so many lived was a miracle in itself.". "If the storm had struck just a few hours earlier, it would have caught hundreds of shoppers in the Carraway Road area, which was pounded with savage fury. The weather service map said power lines were knocked down and roofs blown off in Jackson County, Arkansas. And here's an odd thing: One of the roads leading into the new campus is called "Hurricane Drive." KIRK A. MOORE, 1 1/2 years. The tornado tore through a swathe of town, encompassing the airport and mall … The weather service issued a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation". JONESBORO, Ark. Arkansas wasn't as damaged as some of the other states but the impact was still devastating. *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occured within 30 miles of the location. Joyce Glenn A lot of damage. Not even an hour ago, weather reports lit up when the tornado touched down and gained strength rolling through the northeastern Arkansas town. I had grown up in Jonesboro and graduated from JHS. There were miracles among the tragedies. The National Weather Service shared a video of the storm. All rights reserved. The Salvation Army of Jonesboro was the recipient of a $2,000 Good Neighbor Grant from State Farm for COVID-19 support and an additional $3,000 grant for tornado recovery. When he investigated, he found the smashed remains of a baby crib lying on the banks — with the little boy still sleeping inside it, unharmed except for a tiny cut on his hand. The tornado hit Jonesboro, a town of … Just as the mother reached a bedroom where their 2-month-old son lay in his crib, the winds blew their house in. RELATED: Tornado … By Ralph Ellis, Judson Jones and Gene Norman, CNN. The 2 junior high mascots are the Whirlwinds & Cyclones! Linda Ellison David Kimmel Sr. CHERYL LYNN MOORE, 6 months. I remember being woke up after the tornado had already gone thru. Don Blanchard This outbreak was deemed the largest and costliest tornado disaster ever recorded. Counties in a high risk tornado area include Faulkner County, AR, Pulaski County, AR and Conway County, AR.The largest tornado on record occurred on 03/21/1952, measuring a 4 … Mayor Harold Perrin and other local officials said there were no deaths after the tornado touched down on Saturday in the city, about 130 miles northeast of Little Rock. And, everyone shudders to think what would have happened if the twisters had hit during school hours. A tornado struck Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Saturday afternoon, flattening buildings and overturning vehicles, CNN affiliate KAIT reported. The EF3 tornado in Jonesboro even caused a plane to flip and train to derail! Others awoke from an uneasy sleep to hear the terrible roar of wind and deafening crashes of thunder. Jonesboro, AR is a High Risk area for tornados. As a result of what the newspaper called "the storm's insane fury," Jonesboro High School  was bulldozed and replaced with more modern, storm-resistant buildings. A tornado cut through the heart of Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday evening, leaving 22 people with minor injuries and damaging a mall, local business and an airport, according to the authorities. The storm moved across Jonesboro around 5 p.m. local time, according to a video posted by the National Weather Service in Little Rock. Two major shopping centers and three other schools were heavily damaged. Preliminary results from yesterday's tornadoes: The survey team has rated the Jonesboro tornado as an EF-3 with max winds of 140 mph. Tornado's do some strange things. At least six people were injured after a tornado ripped through downtown Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday, ripping entire walls off buildings, flattening homes, and leaving cars overturned. Tornado sightings were reported in Iowa in Black Hawk, Buchanan, Marshall Adams and Adair counties. Jonesboro… Between March and April, Arkansas saw nine news-worthy tornado touch downs. MILLIE SYKES, 55. And besides, in those innocent, pre-Internet, pre-Twitter, pre-smart-phone days, a warning did no good when — hard to imagine but it's true — most Jonesboro TV and radio stations went off the air at midnight. GAIL MARIE MOORE, 21. (Quentin Winstine/Jonesboro … Some had been watching the late show on television when the power went off, throwing their homes into complete darkness. A tornado ripped through Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. I was a 25 yr old sergeant on the Jonesboro PD and was on duty the night the tornado hit. The tornado roared through homes, the town's commercial district, and the Jonesboro High School complex, skirting the campus of Arkansas State University. (CNN) — A tornado struck Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Saturday afternoon, flattening buildings and overturning vehicles, CNN affiliate KAIT reported. Often wondered if it was a type of survival humor on the part of the school system to use that name. At the local airport, at least one airplane was overturned, and hangars were damaged. Just arrived on Caraway. That's when a neighbor heard a strange sound coming from the creek behind his house. more than 1 year ago. One picture showed a mangled vehicle in the mall parking lot. My husband had to stop his car and walk in knee water to reach us at home with electric wires popping in the water that had been blown down from the storm. The tornado developed quickly in Arkansas and looks to have caused considerable damage Hell had come to Jonesboro.". First of all, it came in the middle of the night, so there was no visible evidence of its impending arrival. The Jonesboro Municipal Airport and a Busch Agricultural Resources rice mill also suffered heavy damage when the tornado struck about 5 p.m. Day said. Photos and … @NWSMemphis continues to … Most people only knew of the tornado when it landed on top of them. Lizabeth Lottmann An official tornado warning for Jonesboro was finally issued for 12:55 a.m. — almost a quarter-hour after the twister touched down! Hurricane was the name of our athletic teams. Within a few minutes, the damage was done, with the powerful winds erasing entire neighborhoods. Of the 22 injured people, two stayed in the hospital overnight but did not have life-threatening injuries, officials said. Based on data from the Tornado History Project, this was the strongest tornado to hit Jonesboro since 1997, when an F-3 (on the old Fujita Scale) went through the city. Just a half-hour after midnight on May 27, 1973, a series of three massive twisters — the largest with a funnel cloud almost a mile wide — swept completely across the southern portion of this city, just about an hour northwest of Memphis. That was measured in 1973 dollars, too. more than 2 years ago. @NWSMemphis continues to … JONESBORO, Ark. By Region 8 … “This looks like … Roof damage and large trees down all around our home. "The miracle of the 1973 storm was that only three persons lost their lives," wrote Mike Overall, city editor of The Jonesboro Sun. Jonesboro last saw tornadoes in 1968 and 1973, Rick Elliott, Jonesboro’s Chief of Police said. Jonesboro, Ark. Jonesboro E-911 … — People in Jonesboro are trying to salvage what they can after an EF-3 tornado brought 140 mile per hour winds to northeast Arkansas on … A tornado tore through a small city in Arkansas on Saturday evening, ripping roofs off buildings, flipping cars and prompting a curfew for residents. Just a half-hour after midnight on May 27, 1973, a series of three massive twisters — the largest with a funnel cloud almost a mile wide — swept completely across the southern portion of this city, just about an hour northwest of Memphis. (CNN)A tornado ripped through Jonesboro, Arkansas, injuring 22 people and leaving a trail of flattened homes and buildings. Hurricane?? (KAIT) - A week after an EF-3 tornado hammered the city of Jonesboro, city officials announced Saturday, April 5, that a curfew in effect for the city has been lifted. Still is. What made this storm particularly horrifying was the timing. Tornado warnings were issued just after 8 p.m. Wednesday night for these areas as the storm moved through. ARCHIE WIMPY, 30. WATCH: Aerial video of Jonesboro, shows path and damage of Saturday evening tornado Local News Posted: Mar 29, 2020 / 12:42 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 30, 2020 / 08:44 AM CDT PAULINE SYKES, 3. The last tornado that did damage like this to the city happened in the early 1970s, when it hit a school in Jonesboro, Campbell said. Within seconds, the baby's room was simply ... gone. The tornado also derailed a … It 's called Hurricane Drive. weather reports lit up when the tornado hit Jonesboro, Arkansas a! 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