887 
NOUS44 KSHV 201449
PNSSHV
ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-210300-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
849 AM CST FRI JAN 20 2023

...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 01/18/23 TORNADO EVENT - UPDATE #1

.UPDATE...UNION COUNTY TORNADO (TORNADO #2) ADDED 

.OVERVIEW...A COLD FRONT PUSHED ACROSS THE REGION, PRODUCING
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH LED TO STRAIGHT-LINE WIND AND 
TORNADO DAMAGE.

.TORNADO #1...WALDO IN COLUMBIA COUNTY, AR

RATING:                 EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    100 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  5.1423 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   80.0 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             01/18/2023
START TIME:             10:34 AM CST
START LOCATION:         4 SW WALDO / COLUMBIA COUNTY / AR
START LAT/LON:          33.3164 / -93.3557

END DATE:               01/18/2023
END TIME:               10:44 AM CST
END LOCATION:           1 NNE WALDO / COLUMBIA COUNTY / AR
END LAT/LON:            33.3655 / -93.2895

SUMMARY: THE TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN NEAR CR-52 NEAR LAKE
COLUMBIA.  THERE, IT SNAPPED SEVERAL SOFTWOOD TREES BEFORE
CONTINUING ONWARD INTO FORESTED AREAS WHERE IT DID INTERMITTENT
DAMAGE.  AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED, DAMAGE WAS AGAIN OBSERVED NEAR
N MILL AND N COTTAGE ST WHERE TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED ON TO UPROOT AND SNAP TREES AS IT CROSSED
WASHINGTON ST AND NEIL ST.   JUST BEFORE US-371, THE TORNADO
DAMAGED THE AWNING OF A CHURCH. AS THE TORNADO CROSSED US-371 (N
OLIVE ST), IT KNOCKED OVER POWER POLES AND SNAPPED TREES ACROSS
SEVERAL BLOCKS IN WALDO.  JUST NE OF WALDO, THE TORNADO
COMPLETELY DESTROYED A SMALL METAL OUTBUILDING AND CONTINUE ON TO
SNAP MORE TREES AT THE EDGE OF A FARM.  A SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT
TO COLUMBIA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE COLUMBIA COUNTY
SHERIFF S OFFICE, AND ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY PATROL FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE IN LOCATING DAMAGE.  

.TORNADO #2...SW OF EL DORADO IN UNION COUNTY, AR

RATING:                 EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    107 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  9.5263 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   840.0 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             01/18/2023
START TIME:             12:40 PM CST
START LOCATION:         7 NW JUNCTION CITY / UNION COUNTY / AR
START LAT/LON:          33.1034 / -92.8093

END DATE:               01/18/2023
END TIME:               12:51 PM CST
END LOCATION:           2 SSW EL DORADO / UNION COUNTY / AR
END LAT/LON:            33.1898 / -92.6862

SUMMARY: THIS TORNADO DEVELOPED FROM A QUASI-LINEAR CONVECTIVE
SYSTEM (QLCS) AND BEGAN ALONG PLEASANT HILL ROAD EAST OF LA HWY
15 (HAYNESVILLE HWY). IT TRAVELED IN GENERALLY A NORTHEASTERLY
DIRECTION ACROSS SPOT ATAWAY ROAD AND WESSON ROAD, SNAPPING AND
UPROOTING NUMEROUS HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES. THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AS THE TORNADO CROSSED
EMMA DRIVE WEST OF PARKERS CHAPEL ROAD. HERE, TWO DOUBLE-WIDE
MANUFACTURED HOMES WERE PARTIALLY SHIFTED OFF THEIR CINDER BLOCKS
BUT REMAINED INTACT WITH NO OTHER DAMAGE. TWO OUTBUILDINGS WERE
ALSO DESTROYED. ONE OUTBUILDING WAS SMALL AND ENTIRELY MADE OF
WOOD, BUT ITS 2X4 VERTICAL SUPPORT BOARDS WERE DRIVEN 3 FEET INTO
THE GROUND DURING CONSTRUCTION AND MOSTLY REMAINED IN PLACE. THE
OTHER OUTBUILDING WAS MUCH LARGER AND CONSISTED OF A METAL ROOF
AND FRAME, WHICH WAS TWISTED TO A GREAT DEGREE. THE EXPECTED WIND
SPEEDS FOR THESE TWO OUTBUILDINGS AND THEIR DEGREE OF DAMAGE ARE
IN THE LOW-END EF2 RANGE. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE ALL-WOOD
CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST BUILDING AND ITS SUPPORT BEAMS
REMAINING PARTIALLY BURIED, AND A DISTINCT LACK OF WIDESPREAD
TREE DAMAGE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY, THE ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS
WERE LOWERED, RESULTING IN AN EF1 RATING, WHICH WAS ALSO MORE
CONSISTENT WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE OBSERVED.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST ACROSS PARKERS CHAPEL ROAD AND
THROUGH A COUPLE OF NEIGHBORHOODS SOUTH AND EAST OF PARKERS
CHAPEL SCHOOL. WIDESPREAD SNAPPING AND UPROOTING OF LARGE
SOFTWOOD PINE TREES OCCURRED IN THIS AREA. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN
THIS AREA WAS CAUSED BY THE FALLING TREES INSTEAD OF THE TORNADO
ITSELF. ONE UPROOTED TREE FELL THROUGH A SINGLE-WIDE MANUFACTURED
HOME OCCUPIED BY THREE PEOPLE WHEN THE TORNADO STRUCK. NO
INJURIES OCCURRED. MOST RESIDENTS THE SURVEY TEAM SPOKE WITH SAID
THEY RECEIVED THE WARNING BEFORE THE TORNADO HIT, INCLUDING
THROUGH WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS.

MORE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED SOFTWOOD TREES WERE OBSERVED AS THE 
TORNADO CROSSED LYNN DRIVE, EVANS DRIVE, ABLES DRIVE, RILLA STREET, 
OLETA AVENUE, WOTAPI STREET, AND LA HWY 15. THE TORNADO BEGAN TO 
WEAKEN AS IT CONTINUED NORTHEAST BUT SNAPPED ANOTHER SOFTWOOD TREE
NORTH OF BUCHANAN ROAD EAST OF LA HWY 15 AND FINALLY LIFTED NEAR LA 
HWY 15/US HWY 82 ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF EL DORADO.

MANY THANKS GO TO THE UNION COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 
FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN FINDING THIS DAMAGE.

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA. 

$$

04/09/10