Decatur picks up pieces after wind and rain damage rolls through town

Photo by Mike Eckels Tree limbs and other debris litter the ditch on the corner of Arkansas Highway 59 and Peterson Road near Gentry after an EF,-1 tornado ripped through the area July 9. No one was injured, though several buildings were damaged to the south of the intersection.
Photo by Mike Eckels Tree limbs and other debris litter the ditch on the corner of Arkansas Highway 59 and Peterson Road near Gentry after an EF,-1 tornado ripped through the area July 9. No one was injured, though several buildings were damaged to the south of the intersection.

DECATUR -- A stalled warm front parked over the region brought heavy downpours and a tornado to the northwest corner of Arkansas.

The onslaught of storms began late Monday night into early Tuesday morning, with heavy downpours that sent Decatur residents scrambling for cover.

The rain fell so hard that parts of Arkansas Highway 59 were under an inch of water. One mile south of the TNT truck stop, the water was running so deep over the road that drivers were forced to slow to five miles an hour to avoid drowning out their vehicles.

The manhole on the corner of south Main St. and Spring Ave. became a fountain as water overwhelmed the system, forcing the cover open at one end.

The relentless rain continued to inundate the area for two days, filling area waterways. Streams became creeks, creeks became rivers and rivers became lakes.

On the morning of July 6, the lake levels were normal at Crystal Lake, with the water about 6 inches below the spillway. That quickly changed by the next day as heavy rain began to fill the lake. The water cascaded over the spillway, swelling the creek beyond its banks. After the heavy downpour on Thursday night, the lake swelled to a point that the boat ramp disappeared, leaving only the part at the top of the bank showing. Access to the boat dock was cut off due to the rising water.

The lake level at the spillway was at least 8 inches above the concrete structure, forcing the water to flow fast and furious over the wall.

A tornado touched down near Gentry Thursday evening, causing damage to several structures. Trees near the intersection of Highway 59 and Peterson Road were uprooted. Several tree limbs along the right-of-way near the Kansas City Southern railroad tracks were snapped and several trees blew over close to the highway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The national weather service officially rated the tornado an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with wind speed between 86 and 110 miles an hour. At the time of the storm, no tornado warnings were issued, although Doppler radar indicated a hook echo in the area. The tornado sirens were not activated in Decatur or Gentry.

In a month that is traditionally hot and humid, with little rainfall, July has taken a turn toward the wet side. And that was only the first week of the month. Who knows what the rest of the month holds for area residents!

General News on 07/15/2015