The March 1, 1997 tornado
F4Saline County, Arkansas
An F4 tornado on a 14.0-mile path that killed 10 and injured 40. It was one of 56 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 18 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of March 1, 1997: 56 tornadoes in 5 statesF4 tornado · March 1, 1997
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- F4
- Fujita scale
- Path length
- 14.0 mi
- Width up to 1,407 yards
- Killed
- 10
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 40
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Saturday, March 1, 1997
- 3:25 PM CST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
The thunderstorm that produced the tornado across Clark and Hot Spring County earlier spawned another tornado in Saline County. The tornado touched down 5 miles southeast of Benton and traveled northeastward, damaging a number of homes and downing numerous trees and power lines. As the tornado approached Shannon Hills, the tornado expanded to 0.8 mile wide. Dozens of homes were either damaged or destroyed in the area around the Shannon Hills, Vimy Ridge and Sardis communities. 10 people were killed, with most victims inside their homes when the storm hit.The tornado exhibited characteristics of F2 to F3 strength prior to moving into the Shannon Hills area. After that, the tornado reached F4 intensity as it moved across the Shannon Hills area and eventually into Pulaski County.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- F4, Clark County6 killed
- F4, Hot Spring County24 mi
- F4, Pulaski County5 killed
- F4, Mississippi County20 mi
- F4, Dyer County1 killed
- F4, Gibson County10 mi
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.