New Report Confirms Exceptionally Long Track of March Tornado

A new report from the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that a tornado that roared through the south-central U.S. in March stretched for nearly 120 miles. Here is a deeper look at this report.

Recent Tornado Stayed on the Ground for Almost 120 Miles

A twister that spun up on March 14 carved a path that was almost 120 miles long as it stayed on the ground from Arkansas and into Missouri. It is not unusual for these reports to take weeks to finalize due to the investigative work that goes into the research. The NWS released its final report on this particular monster storm, using a combination of satellite imagery and ground reports to confirm the size of the tornado.

The precise path stretched for 117.15 miles from the northwestern corner of Arkansas and into southeastern Missouri during the evening hours of Friday, March 14. The twister was on the ground for 93.6 miles in Arkansas and almost 24 miles in Missouri, lasting for over two hours.

The NWS had to look at several images and compile reports from witnesses on the ground in order to publish its final report. The initial report indicated that the event was thought to be two different tornadoes in Arkansas that merged into one path that then traveled into Missouri.

This monster tornado has been rated as an EF4 event, packing wind speeds of 170 mph at its peak near Larkin, Arkansas. The twister weakened as it moved into Missouri, topping out as an EF2 event by the time it crossed the state line.

It is extremely rare to find a tornado that stays on the ground for over 100 miles. One of the most destructive tornadoes in recent history happened on December 10, 2021, in northwestern Tennessee and into central Kentucky. This deadly tornado was on the ground for 165.7 miles, lasting for almost three hours. The tornado was responsible for EF4 damage in the community of Mayfield, Kentucky.

To put these numbers into context, the vast majority of tornadoes last less than 10 minutes. According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average distance of a typical tornado is approximately 3.5 miles. These averages have been determined from records dating back to 1950.

How Tornado Destruction is Measured

Tornadoes are now measured using the Enhanced Fujita Scale. These ratings are assigned by survey crews that go into the impact zone and investigate the damage after the fact to reveal the true scope of the event. The lowest EF0 rating is used to note a tornado that inflicted light damage. Conversely, an EF5 tornado is used to describe the highest level of destruction. These rates are based on damage found along the path of a tornado rather than by using metrics such as Doppler radar or other types of concrete data.

Those types of surveys generally happen days later, after the storm has passed. Investigators can then go back and look at past satellite images to provide a clearer picture of the past tornado's exact path.

Wind speed estimates are ascertained by surveying the damage left behind by the tornado. For instance, surveyors will look at the number of trees on the ground, damage to homes and larger structures, and other factors to assign an EF rating. The quality of the structure's construction is also factored into the tornado rating.

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