May 26, 2024 was a historic day for severe weather across the Ozark Plateau, as the widest tornado ever to strike Arkansas will likely make history.
The National Weather Service is calling it the Decatur tornado, which moved across Delaware County, Oklahoma, and into Benton County, Arkansas. Its official width was 3,200 yards, or 1.8 miles, beating the previous record of 1.65 miles, recorded in Mayflower, Arkansas, on April 25, 2011.
The Decatur tornado touched down at 12:59 a.m. Sunday near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. Several homes and outbuildings were destroyed in a very rural area. The tornado snapped utility poles and uprooted or snapped trees. The National Weather Service reported extensive damage to trees in the storm’s path.
The NWS released radar reflectivity (top left), storm relative speed (top right), correlation coefficient (bottom left), and TDS (bottom right) on March 26, 2024 at 1:08 a.m.
With winds exceeding 150 mph in the area, the Decatur tornado was rated an EF3. The tornado remained on the ground for 22 minutes and followed a path 7.9 miles long. Two injuries were reported.
EF3 – Decatur
Estimated maximum wind speed: 145-155 mph Path length: 7.9 miles Path width: 3200 yards or 1.82 miles
Near the end of the tornado’s path, radar showed it hovering for several minutes north of Highway 102. The storm dissipated shortly thereafter.
The widest tornado in the world occurred near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. This tornado was 2.6 miles wide.
