1898 Fort Smith, Arkansas, tornado

The 1898 Fort Smith tornado was a tornado which struck the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, during the night of Tuesday, January 11, 1898. It touched down about 100 miles to the southwest, and struck the city around midnight, killing 55 people and injuring 113. The twister nearly destroyed the newly constructed Fort Smith High School that had opened in fall 1897. Another tornado was also reported that night in Alma, Arkansas.[1]

1898 Fort Smith tornado
Destroyed homes in Fort Smith
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationJanuary 11–12, 1898
Tornadoes confirmed≥2
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2>1 hour
Damage$4,500,000 (1898 USD)[1]
Casualties55 fatalities, 113 injured
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The Fort Smith tornado is tied with one that struck Warren in 1949 for the deadliest tornado to strike Arkansas.[2] Both tornadoes were estimated to be rated F4 on the Fujita scale.[3][4]

References

  1. http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/026/mwr-026-01-0018.pdf
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-05-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.ericsweatherlibrary.com/f4f5/f4-f5-tornadoes/
  4. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. pp. 681–682, 941. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.


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