What Is The Strongest Tornado Ever Recorded in Arkansas?

Deadly tornadoes swept through multiple counties on Friday night causing significant damage in several rural small towns in Arkansas.

EF-4 Devastates Diaz, Arkansas

The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-4 tornado struck near Diaz in Jackson County with estimated peak winds of 190 mph. This was the first EF-4 tornado reported in Arkansas since 2021, according to Chief Meteorologist Todd Yakoubian from KARK-TV.

Strongest Tornado Ever Recorded in Arkansas

The strongest tornado ever recorded in Arkansas was on April 10, 1929, in Swifton also in Jackson County. The tornado was classified as an EF-5, the maximum intensity on the Fujita scale of tornadoes. It's believed that an EF-5 tornado would have maximum sustained winds of 261-318 mph. The tornado was named the Sneed tornado after a road in the county of what is now known as the Pleasant Valley community.

That tornado devasted the entire community with scattered debris for miles, homes were ripped from their foundations and left in ruins, and there was very little to salvage. After surveying the catastrophic damage, 40 homes were destroyed, 40 damaged, and 36 barns demolished including several animals that were killed. Approximately 75 families and 450 people were affected by the storm.

The recent EF-4 tornado in Diaz was 11 mph short of being deemed an EF-5. This weekend's storm was not kind to the towns of Fifty-Six and Cave City where a reported EF-3 struck.

Has There Ever Been An EF-6 Tornado on Earth?

The updated Fujita scale only goes to an EF-5. There has never been an EF-6 tornado, if so, winds would be 319-379 mph, and the damage would be inconceivable. No tornado is ever good, let's pray and hope that never happens.

Check out Jim's story on the latest Arkansas news on the tornadoes.

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