Tornado Outbreak of April 2, 2006

...SUMMARY...
April 2, 2006 was a dark day in the Mid-South’s weather history.  
That afternoon and evening, a series of powerful tornadoes moved through eastern Arkansas, 
the Missouri Bootheel, and west Tennessee.  The tornadoes killed 26 people and injured over 200.  
Over 1,200 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.  
This page contains a brief summary of the tornadoes and their impacts.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
310 PM CDT THU APR 6 2006

...AN UPDATE ON THE FINAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE TORNADO DAMAGE FROM THE
MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAK ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH FROM THE AFTERNOON OF
APRIL 2 2006 TO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF APRIL 3 2006...

...CHANGES WERE MADE TO ADD IN A SEPARATE F3 TORNADO EAST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM CARUTHERSVILLE TO NEWBERN INSTEAD OF ONE
CONTINUOUS TORNADO...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL IN MEMPHIS ALONG WITH COORDINATION
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAVE COMPLETED THEIR
SURVEY OF THE TORNADO DAMAGE ACROSS EASTERN ARKANSAS...THE BOOTHEEL
OF MISSOURI AND NORTHWEST TENNESSEE. IN TOTAL 5 F3 TORNADOES TOUCHED
DOWN ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH.

THE FIRST TORNADO WAS THE LONGEST TORNADO TRACK ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH
AND IMPACTED RANDOLPH...LAWRENCE...AND GREENE COUNTIES IN ARKANSAS...
AS WELL AS DUNKLIN AND PEMISCOT COUNTIES IN MISSOURI.

IT APPEARS THAT THE PARENT SUPERCELL FIRST PRODUCED A TORNADO THAT
TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF RAVENDEN IN SHARP COUNTY ARKANSAS AND THEN
MOVED INTO RAVENDEN (LAWRENCE COUNTY) AS AN F0 TORNADO WITH A 200
YARD PATH. SEVERAL WOODEN AND METAL SHEDS WERE DESTROYED...ALONG WITH
A ROOF OF AN OLDER HOUSE BLOWN OFF. FROM THERE THE TORNADO APPEARED
TO MOVE THROUGH IMBODEN AND THEN SKIPPED ON ITS WAY TO JUST SOUTH OF
POCAHONTAS. F1 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ONE MILE SOUTH OF POCAHONTAS NEAR
ROAD 67 AND ARKANSAS 90...WITH A WIDTH OF 300 YARDS. SEVERAL HOMES
WERE DAMAGED WITH ONE ROOF COMPLETELY GONE. FROM THAT POINT THE
TORNADO REMAINED ON THE GROUND AS IT MOVED EAST TOWARD LAFE...WITH
GENERALLY F0 TO F1 DAMAGE OBSERVED ALONG THE PATH. AS THE TORNADO
MOVED INTO LAFE IT BEGAN TO WIND UP AND PRODUCED F1 TO F3 DAMAGE
UNTIL THE TORNADO REACHED MARMADUKE. IN MARMADUKE THE TORNADO REACHED
MAXIMUM WINDS OF 200 MPH...A STRONG END F3 ALONG WITH WIDTH OF HALF A
MILE TO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE. SOME OF THE DAMAGE IN MARMADUKE
INCLUDED NUMEROUS HOUSES DESTROYED...ALONG WITH 15 RAILROAD CARS WERE
LIFTED OFF THE TRACK AND BLOWN OVER. THERE WERE 50 KNOWN INJURIES
WITH 5 OF THOSE INJURED IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

FIVE MILES EAST OF MARMADUKE...2 WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WERE
FLATTENED AND A NEW CAR THROWN 80 YARDS. AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED
EAST...IT APPEARED TO WEAKEN IN STRENGTH TO A F1 WITH JUST SCATTERED
DEBRIS AND LARGE POWER POLES DOWN ALTHOUGH THE SIZE OF THE SYSTEM
REMAINED LARGE AS IT PASSED THROUGH DUNKLIN AND PEMISCOT COUNTIES.
THE DAMAGE PATH APPEARED NEAR THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE WIDE AT TIME
ESPECIALLY AS IT APPROACHED CARUTHERSVILLE MISSOURI. AS THE TORNADO
MOVED INTO THE TOWN OF BRAGGADOCIO MISSOURI...IT STRENGTHENED BACK
TO A F2 TORNADO. THERE WERE 2 INJURED AND 1 ELDERLY LADY KILLED AS
THEY WERE TRYING TO RUN FROM THE TORNADO.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED INTO CARUTHERSVILLE AS A F3 TORNADO AND PASSED
THROUGH THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CITY AND DAMAGED ALMOST EVERY HOME
AND MANY WERE RENDERED UN-INHABITABLE BEFORE DISSIPATING AT THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THERE WERE 64 INJURIES...ALTHOUGH NO FATALITIES.
AS THE TORNADO PASSED INTO THE CITY THE WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS HALF
TO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE WIDE AS IT PASSED OVER I-55.

A SECOND TORNADO FORMED JUST EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN DYER
COUNTY. THIS TORNADO TRAVELED 18 MILES BEFORE DISSIPATING JUST
EAST OF NEWBERN TENNESSEE. THIS STRONG F3 TORNADO HAD WINDS AROUND
200 MPH. NUMEROUS HOMES WERE DESTROYED WITH ADDITIONAL PROPERTY
DAMAGE NOTED. THERE WERE 16 FATALITIES WITH THIS STORM. THIS TORNADO
WAS FIRST BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A CONTINUATION OF THE CARUTHERSVILLE
TORNADO...BUT FURTHER EVALUATION HAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A
SEPARATE TORNADO THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE SAME SUPERCELL.

A THIRD TORNADO THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE FIRST SUPERCELL TOUCHED DOWN
JUST EAST OF YORKVILLE TENNESSEE (GIBSON COUNTY) AND MOVED THROUGH
DYER AND THEN THROUGH BRADFORD. TORNADIC DAMAGE WAS RATED A F1 ON THE
FUJITA SCALE WITH UP TO F3 DAMAGE IN BRADFORD TENNESSEE...ESPECIALLY
ON TAYLOR ROAD JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 45. THE STORM CONTINUED EAST
THROUGH WEAKLEY AND CARROLL COUNTIES IN TENNESSEE. AFTER THE TORNADO
PASSED THROUGH BRADFORD IN GIBSON COUNTY THERE WAS SPORADIC DAMAGE
ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF CARROLL COUNTY WITH WORST AFFECTED AREAS
5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF MCKENZIE. DAMAGE HERE INCLUDED NUMEROUS
TREES DOWNS...GRAIN SILOS DESTROYED AND POWER LINES DOWNED. A RATING
OF F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE WAS GIVEN TO THIS TORNADO. DAMAGE CONTINUED
INTO BENTON COUNTY. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS
DETAILS ON THE DAMAGE TRACK EAST OF CARROLL COUNTY.

THE FOURTH TORNADO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SECOND SUPERCELL THAT HAD
FORMED FROM THE ORIGINAL SUPERCELL AND THEN MADE A QUICK RIGHT HAND
TURN AND TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTH OF THE OBION COUNTY LINE AND JUST
NORTH OF RUTHERFORD. THIS TORNADO THEN MOVED SOUTHEAST TRACKING
APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES AND DISSIPATED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CHINA
GROVE ROAD AND HIGHWAY 105. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AS A F3 ON THE
FUJITA SCALE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 200 MPH AND A WIDTH OF UP TO ONE
HALF MILE. SEVERAL HOMES WERE DESTROYED WITH MANY AUTOMOBILES TOSSED
AND THROWN INTO FIELDS. EIGHT FATALITIES WERE REPORTED IN BRADFORD
WITH APPROXIMATELY 50 INJURIES.

A FIFTH TORNADO BEGAN IN WOODRUFF COUNTY IN ARKANSAS 4 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF MORTON OR ABOUT A MILE NORTH OF THE PENROSE COMMUNITY
IN WOODRUFF COUNTY AND ENDED 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PARKIN IN CROSS
COUNTY. THE TORNADO REMAINED IN WOODRUFF COUNTY FOR LESS THAN HALF A
MILE AND THEN MOVED INTO CROSS COUNTY. THIS TORNADO WENT ON TO STRIKE
THE FITZGERALD CROSSING COMMUNITY SOUTH OF WYNNE AND VILLAGE CREEK
STATE PARK. A NUMBER OF HOUSES WERE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED ALONG WITH
MOBILE HOMES...FARM SHOPS...AND GRAIN SILOS. HUNDREDS OF TREES AND
POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. SEVERAL PARKED EIGHTEEN WHEELERS AND CARS
WERE OVERTURNED. A RATING OF F3 WAS GIVEN TO THE TORNADO WITH
ESTIMATED WINDS OF 200 MPH. THERE WERE 5 INJURIES IN CROSS COUNTY.
AFTER EXITING THE PARKIN AREA...F0 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED INTO
CRITTENDEN COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING JUST EAST OF CRAWFORDSVILLE. THANKS
TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK FOR THEIR HELP WITH THE
PATH OF THE STORM.

THE SIXTH TORNADO ORIGINATED FROM A SUPERCELL THAT MOVED ACROSS SOUTH
HAYWOOD COUNTY IN TENNESSEE. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF
BROWNSVILLE TENNESSEE. THIS TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AN F2 ON THE
FUJITA SCALE WITH A WIDTH OF 30 YARDS AND LENGTH OF THREE QUARTERS OF
A MILE. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE HICKORY TRAIL SUBDIVISION
AND OCCURRED AROUND 1030 PM. THERE WAS PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE TO
APPROXIMATELY A DOZEN HOMES. ONE HOME WAS MOVED OFF OF ITS FOUNDATION
WHILE ANOTHER HOME WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH ITS DEBRIS SWEPT CLEAN
OFF OF THE FOUNDATION. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

THE SURVEY TEAM ALSO NOTED AREAS OF STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE NEAR
THE TOWNS OF WHITEVILLE...TOONE...SILERTON AND DANCYVILLE IN
HARDEMAN...FAYETTE...SOUTHERN HAYWOOD...AND MCNAIRY COUNTIES IN
TENNESSEE. THE DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND 730 PM. A FEW HOMES RECEIVED
MINOR DAMAGE WHILE IN THE DANCYVILLE AREA...A MOBILE HOME THAT WAS
TIED DOWN WAS OVERTURNED. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE IN EXCESS OF 90
MPH HERE.

FUJITA TORNADIC DAMAGE SCALE

F0.....60-73 MPH...LIGHT DAMAGE
F1....73-112 MPH...MODERATE DAMAGE
F2...113-157 MPH...CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE
F3...158-206 MPH...SEVERE DAMAGE
F4...207-260 MPH...DEVASTATING DAMAGE
F5...261-318 MPH...INCREDIBLE DAMAGE

$$

CJC/RJO/DNV/JEB/JFB/ZEI/DSV/ARS/JRA

Tornado south of Kennett, Missouri. Photo by Bill Page.

Tornado in Kennett, Missouri. Photos by Donald Jones.

Tornado in Kennett, MO.

Tornado in Kennett, MO.

Multiple tornadoes in Dunklin County, Missouri. Photo by Duncan Phenix.

Multiple tornadoes in Dunklin County, Missouri. Photo by Duncan Phenix.

Overview Radar Loop