Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Severe Weather Awareness Week Set on Anniversary

This time last year, residents of Nevada County were cleaning up after devastating tornadoes ravaged the area.

March 1, 1997, opened the severe weather season in a way no one wanted.

Now, a year later, severe weather season is again upon us, with Severe Weather Awareness Week underway until March 7.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has joined with the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services (OES) to urge citizens to prepare for the season.

Gov. Huckabee is using this week to encourage citizens to learn and review severe weather safety rules, and understand the hazards associated with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

During Severe Weather Week, the NWS will transmit weather safety information on NOAA weather radio (NWR). In addition, information on severe weather can be obtained from the Internet.

Looking back at March 1, 1997, during that fateful Saturday afternoon a major tornado outbreak occurred in Arkansas.

In all, some 17 tornadoes swept across the state, leaving a total of 25 people dead and more than 100 injured.

But, this was not the deadliest series of twisters to hit Arkansas. On March 21, 1952, 111 people were killed by tornadoes.

Still, the March 1, 1997, storms won't soon be forgotten.

The deadliest of the twisters took a path from southwest to northeast, traveling along Interstate-30.

The thunderstorm producing the tornadoes moved quickly, about 50 miles per hour, and didn't linger in any one area for long. However, the damage left behind was massive.

The tornadoes were rated F4 on the rating scale of F0-F5.

During the storms, the NWS issued some 58 warnings, 34 being tornado warnings. Lead times averaged about 15 minutes, with some areas having as much as 45 minutes of advance notice. This gave residents of the regions time to find shelter and safety.

It was fortunate the tornadoes hit on a Saturday. Most people were busy with weekend activities and relatively few were in the affected areas. Bad weather was on the minds of few people.

Still, even with the lead times, there were those who never knew severe weather was on its way. More than half of those killed were unprepared for bad weather, according to a release from the NWS.

With this kind of storm possible in Arkansas, protecting lives and property is important.

The NWS does what it can to get information on approaching storms to the people by using NEXRAD, or next generation radar, along with the Surveillance Radar, also known as Doppler radar.

These instruments have improved the NWS's ability to assess the severity of the approaching storms and warn the public.

One of the most valuable assets provide by the weather is the ability to judge the speed and direction of winds. With this data, forecasters can find areas of rotation, which could be possible tornadoes.

Should the NWS determine the storm to be severe, it will issue a watch or warning. Normally, these warnings last an hour or less.

These warnings are issued when conditions are favorable for bad weather, but do not mean a tornado or severe thunderstorm will actually strike.

The most severe weather Arkansans face include: hail, wind, lightning and flash flooding, along with tornadoes.

Interestingly, a storm is not considered severe until it produces dime size hail, or hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter.

Straight line winds of 58 miles per hour or more are considered severe. This includes tornadoes.

Lightning is the number two killer produced by a thunderstorm. Lightning itself, ironically, is not considered to be severe because relatively few people are killed by lightning annually.

The number one killer produced by thunderstorms is flash flooding.

In Arkansas, early April tends to be the worst time for flash flooding. Some areas of the state have received more than six inches of rain in a 24-hour span.

According to the NWS, '97 was an above average year for twisters in Arkansas. In all, there were 29 documented tornadoes, with the normal number being 21.

Twenty six people were killed by these storms, most in the March 1, series, while the normal number of tornado-related deaths is five per year.

From 1950 to 1997 there were 1,090 tornadoes documented in Arkansas. These twisters, during this time period, left 317 people dead.

This time of year it is vital to pay attention to weather watches and warnings posted by the NWS and be prepared to take the necessary precautions to insure your safety and the safety of your family.