LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A swarm of 13 tornadoes tore through Arkansas and southern Missouri overnight, leaving a trail of destruction, three fatalities, and stunned communities in their wake. The National Weather Service has confirmed the twisters, ranging from EF-3 to EF-4 strength, as part of a violent weather event that hammered the region with winds up to 190 mph, claiming lives and reshaping the landscape.
One of the most relentless began near Marcella, just east of the White River, at 10:16 p.m. CDT, churning through Cushman, Cave City, Reyno, and Corning over 95 minutes. This EF-3, with peak winds of 165 mph, shredded trees near Bethesda, then pummeled Cave City, damaging or destroying numerous homes and uprooting scores of trees. A double-wide mobile home flipped on its side as the storm exited town, and later, in Reyno, it smashed six grain bins and toppled an irrigation pivot near US 67, scattering debris into fields. Three lives were lost along its path, though no injuries were reported.
At 10:21 p.m. CDT, another EF-3 spun up near Williford, slicing through Ravenden Springs before crossing into Missouri and hitting Fairdealing and Harviell. With winds reaching 155 mph, this 63-minute terror overturned a manufactured home near Poynor, injuring one person inside, and flattened vast swaths of trees across Ripley County. Outbuildings collapsed under falling timber, and homes east of Fairdealing saw roofs ripped apart—some partially, some completely—yet no fatalities occurred.
The night’s fiercest strike hit at 11:13 p.m. CDT, an EF-4 barreling through Nuckles, Diaz, and Tuckerman with winds peaking at 190 mph. Covering 14.51 miles and swelling to 1,760 yards wide, this 23-minute mauler started near Departee Creek Road, snapping trees before surging into Jackson County. It leveled a well-built home at EF-4 intensity, leaving nearby structures with EF-3 damage, then crossed the White River into Macks and Jacksonport. In Fitzgerald, it hurled cars and a dump truck hundreds of yards, and in Diaz, an anchor-bolted house was flattened, its concrete slab nearly swept bare. One injury—a police sergeant caught in his tossed patrol car—marked the human cost, with no deaths despite the carnage. It faded west of County Road 43 after crossing Highway 367 in Campbell Station.
These three were among 13 confirmed tornadoes that battered the region, with preliminary surveys still tallying the full scope. The outbreak’s toll—three dead, at least two injured—underscores its brutality, as Arkansas and Missouri now face a long road to recovery from this night of unrelenting storms.
