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NOUS44 KLZK 100249
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ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-101200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
848 PM CST THU MAR 9 2006

...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN WOODRUFF COUNTY...

THIS AFTERNOON...METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN 
LITTLE ROCK SURVEYED DAMAGE WHICH OCCURRED THIS MORNING IN WOODRUFF 
COUNTY. THE DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A TORNADO.  

THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS F2 ON THE FUJITA SCALE OF TORNADO 
CLASSIFICATION. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 150 MPH. FOUR PEOPLE WERE 
INJURED.

THE TORNADO TRACKED FROM 4.2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORTON TO 3.5 MILES 
NORTHEAST OF MORTON...A DISTANCE OF 7.7 MILES...BEFORE CONTINUING ON 
INTO CROSS COUNTY.

CROSS COUNTY IS IN THE MEMPHIS COUNTY WARNING AREA...AND THEY PLAN 
TO LOOK AT THAT DAMAGE ON FRIDAY. 

IN WOODRUFF COUNTY...18 HOMES WERE DAMAGED. THIS DAMAGE RANGED FROM 
MINOR TO SEVERE. A LARGE METAL BUILDING HOUSING A WELDING SHOP WAS 
DESTROYED. A CHURCH HAD A LARGE PART OF ITS ROOF TAKEN OFF AND GLASS 
BLOWN OUT OF THE WINDOWS AND FRONT DOOR. A HUNTING LODGE SUFFERED 
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO ITS ROOF. SEVERAL LARGE GRAIN BINS WERE 
DAMAGED...WITH ONE OF THE BINS SPILLING ITS GRAIN ONTO THE GROUND. A 
NUMBER OF OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED. NUMEROUS POWER POLES AND 
POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN. DOZENS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF OR 
UPROOTED. RAILROAD CROSSING SIGNALS WERE DAMAGED.

FOR AWHILE AFTER THE TORNADO PASSED...U.S. HIGHWAY 64 AND THE UNION 
PACIFIC RAILROAD WERE BLOCKED BY DEBRIS. A TRAIN HAD TO BE HALTED 
BECAUSE OF THE DEBRIS ON THE TRACKS.

THE STORM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY JOHN ROBINSON...WARNING 
COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST...AND RENEE FAIR...METEOROLOGIST IN 
CHARGE...FROM THE LITTLE ROCK OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS WOODRUFF COUNTY SHERIFF FREDDIE 
HUDSON AND WOODRUFF COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER BRENDA BYERLY FOR THEIR 
ASSISTANCE.

DAMAGE IN EXTREME NORTHERN PULASKI COUNTY WAS ALSO SURVEYED. THIS 
DAMAGE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THUNDERSTORM WINDS...
WHICH LIKELY REACHED AT LEAST 80 MPH.

SURVEY PLANS FOR FRIDAY INCLUDE THE KIRBY AREA IN PIKE COUNTY.

$$

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