February 8, 2008: 120+ Mile Tornado Track in Arkansas – Update

  This is just incredible.  Almost unheard of.  A single tornado on the ground for over 120 miles. 
This was one of the killer tornadoes from earlier in the week.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1255 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2008

…AERIAL SURVEY COMPLETED FOR PRIMARY TORNADO TRACK OVER NORTH
ARKANSAS…

AN AERIAL SURVEY WAS COMPLETED LATE THIS MORNING FOR THE TORNADIC
STORM THAT TRACKED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS ON
TUESDAY. THE AREAL SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED THAT THE PATH OF THE
TORNADO WAS CONTINUOUS FROM YELL COUNTY… NORTHEASTWARD INTO SHARP
COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS EARLIER RATED AN EF4. BASED ON PRELIMINARY
INFORMATION…THE LENGTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK WILL BE AT LEAST 120
MILES LONG.

AN NWS GROUND SURVEY TEAM HAS ALSO FOUND THE STARTING POINT OF THIS
TORNADO TO BE 5.6 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF CENTERVILLE…IN YELL
COUNTY. AN ENDING POINT…ALONG WITH A MORE DETAILED PATH LENGTH…
WILL BE DETERMINED ONCE THE TEAMS RETURN LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

THE AERIAL SURVEY TEAM CONSISTED OF JOHN LEWIS…SENIOR FORECASTER
AND BRIAN SMITH…FORECASTER. THE GROUND SURVEY TEAM IS JOHN
ROBINSON…WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST…AND RENEE
FAIR…METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE. THEY ARE ALL FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK. THE WEATHER SERVICE WOULD ALSO LIKE
TO THANK THE CIVIL AIR PATROL FOR PROVIDING THE PERSONNEL AND
AIRCRAFT THAT WERE USED TO CONDUCT THE AERIAL SURVEY.