The April 14, 1996 tornado
F4Stone and Izard counties, Arkansas
An F4 tornado on a 44.0-mile path that killed 7 and injured 35. It was one of 5 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day.
Watch how it happenedF4 tornado · April 14, 1996
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- F4
- Fujita scale
- Path length
- 44.0 mi
- Width up to 880 yards
- Killed
- 7
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 35
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Sunday, April 14, 1996
- 6:10 PM CST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
The storm system that day
The tornado first touched down 4 miles northwest of Fox. It moved northeastward, passing south of Timbo, where some homes were damaged or destroyed and a number of trees were blown down. The tornado continued moving northeastward, causing some spotty damage through much of the county until the storm was 3.5 miles southwest of Allison. There, a house was completely destroyed and the first fatality occurred at approximately 730 pm CDT. The tornado then moved into Allison at around 738 pm CDT, damaging a resort area and destroying a bathhouse. The storm then struck a campground near the resort. As the tornado moved through the campground area, trees were downed on recreational vehicles, and several camping trailers were either overturned or tossed into a nearby creek. Four people were killed at the campground. The tornado exited Stone County at 739 pm CDT. Five people also sustained minor injuries.Damage along the track of the tornado was mostly F3. However, some structural damage was consistant with an F4 rating. Initial estimates place the amount of damage at around $2,500,000.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.