DECATUR -- March 25 started out as most early spring days do, warm and sunny. In fact, the day felt more like an early summer day than spring. But by early afternoon, that beautiful spring morning turned ugly as severe storms rolled into Northwest Arkansas from central Oklahoma.
At 2:15 p.m. the temperature in Decatur was a comfortable 78 degrees with a strong southwest wind. Conditions were perfect for the formation of super-cell thunderstorms.
As the afternoon progressed, the skies darkened and the wind picked up, gusting to more than 30 miles per hour at times.
Out on Crystal Lake, three fishermen, two in a boat and the other on shore by the cliffs, were caught in the midst of the first storm that rolled through around 3 p.m. Fortunately, all made it back to their vehicles unharmed.
During the course of the storm, a lowering wall cloud began to form to the west of Decatur, moving north-northeast at around 40 mph. As it passed over Crystal Lake, the lowering formation pulled back up into the cloud. Decatur missed the first round, but there would be several more throughout the early evening. Parts of Eureka Springs and Berryville, however, were not so lucky.
The same storm that moved through Decatur later intensified and spawned tornadoes, hail and very heavy rainfall which caused light to moderate damage in Carroll County. One life was apparently lost due to flood waters near Holiday Island. A man was missing after his SUV was swept off a bridge into rushing water.
As the afternoon turned into evening, another round of severe weather moved through the area. A confirmed tornado was spotted southwest of Siloam Springs and again near Tontitown, prompting tornado warnings for those areas.
In Springdale, the employees of the Neighborhood Market on Sunset ushered customers to the back of the store as a precaution. However, the tornado lifted into the clouds and later moved into Madison County.
As the frontal system moved through Decatur at around 7:15 p.m., the winds shifted to the north and the temperature dropped to 46 degrees with a steady rain.
Rainfall totals ending at midnight on March 25 were around 1.25 inches. This caused minor street flooding in the area, but fortunately no deaths were reported.
At sunrise on March 26, rising lake levels at Crystal Lake caused a torrent of water to flow over the spillway. Water was so high round 8 a.m. that access to the boat dock at Crystal Lake park was blocked for about 12 hours.
The storms of March 25 left behind sporadic damage reports and one fatality. However, with adequate warnings from the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, the loss of life was minimal. It reminds us that the severe weather season is upon us and now is the time to develop a severe weather plan and have it ready to implement when the need arises.
General News on 04/01/2015