BAY, Ark. – A strong tornado hit northeastern Arkansas on Wednesday, which led to the declaration of an urgent Tornado Emergency. The supercell went through towns like Lake City and Blytheville.
Storm chasers were trying to get far enough away from the violent cyclone after the FOX Forecast Center called it a “wedge tornado,” a type of twister that is very dangerous and wide.
The tornado, which had many swirls around its base, was first seen just east of Jonesboro. It moved quickly toward the line between Arkansas and Missouri.
Along with the destructive tornado, there were bursts of light, which were probably transformers exploding because of the wind speeds, which were thought to have hit nearly 200 mph.
One of FOX Weather’s only storm chasers, Brandon Copic, kept an eye on the tornado as it happened.
Copic said, “It’s getting very close to me.” “There is an audible roar with it right now.”
Copic thought the tornado was at least an EF-3 and showed signs of being much stronger, which made the danger to people living in its path even greater.
Authorities in the area told people right away to find a safe place to stay during the storm, saying that the situation was very dangerous.
Governor Sanders of Arkansas said that storm and tornado damage had been reported all over the state and that first responders were on the scene to help those who were hurt.
According to the local government, at least twenty homes in Monette and Lake City were badly damaged, and seven people were hurt and being treated.
The Westside Consolidated School District serves rural areas in the northeast of the state. They said that there will be no classes on Thursday because at least one of their buildings was damaged by the heavy weather.
As of Wednesday evening, websites that track power outages said that at least 40,000 people did not have power.
Earlier that same day, a different tornado hit eastern Missouri. This caused firefighters to look for and save people north of the small town of Potosi.
Between the Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast, more than 15 million people were put under Tornado Watches. Forecasters told people in the weather zone to stay alert in case there are more tornadoes.
