Storm Chaser Captures Powerful Arkansas Tornado Close Up

On Wednesday, multiple tornados swept through portions of northeast Arkansas, leaving many communities without power. One of the hardest hit areas was in Lake City where a massive wedge tornado struck as described by the FOX Forecast Center.

What is a Wedge Tornado?

A wedge tornado produces several swirling vortices at the base of the tornado and is considered very dangerous because of how wide the bottom is. The tornado was first spotted east of Jonesboro and was moving rapidly toward the Arkansas-Missouri state line.

An exclusive storm chaser for FOX Weather, Brandon Copic was tracking the powerful tornado in real-time on Wednesday and captured some unbelievable footage. As he got closer to the tornado he began to see flashes of light which were transformers being blown. It was estimated that the tornado was producing winds of at least 200 mph and was possibly an EF-3, according to the storm tracker.

It was reported that at least two dozen homes were damaged and seven people were being treated for injuries in and around Lake City. One of the buildings in the Westside Consolidated School District sustained damage and classes were canceled for Thursday.

State of Emergency Issued

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency for tornadoes, storms, and flooding in Arkansas on April 2. The state remains at risk for more tornadoes, damaging winds, hail, and severe storms through Saturday.

Here is another storm chaser Conner Croff who was tracking the storm across Arkansas.

Get our free mobile app