National Weather Service: Weak tornado likely touched down in Arkansas, ending twister drought

Published May 03, 2016

This frame taken from video provided by Brenton Leete shows a funnel cloud in part of a storm Wednesday, March 25, 2015, in Sand Springs, Okla. The slow start to the nation's tornado season came to a blustery end Wednesday when tornadoes hit Arkansas and Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Brenton Leete) (The Associated Press)

The National Weather Service says a severe weather system in Arkansas likely produced the nation's first tornado for the month of March.

Meteorologist Jeff Hood in Little Rock says it appears a weak "waterspout" tornado briefly touched down in Bull Shoals Lake in Marion County in northwest Arkansas on Tuesday night. A "waterspout" touches forms over water.

If the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center confirms it was indeed a tornado, it would have ended a twister drought that's lasted all month. March is when tornado season often begins ramping up for parts of the U.S.

Greg Carbin with the Storm Prediction Center says official documentation could take months. But Carbin says his read of the preliminary reports suggests it probably was a tornado.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/national-weather-service-weak-tornado-likely-touched-down-in-arkansas-ending-twister-drought