Reported tornado begins in North Central Arkansas, lasts at least 2 hours

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A listener sent in this photo of funnel clouds near Henderson and Gepp.

A reported tornado first touched down Friday night in North Central Arkansas and made a path into the northeastern portion of the state. The tornado stayed on the ground for at least two hours.

The storm was first confirmed as a tornado in Fulton County, but area residents first shared pictures with KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News of funnel clouds in areas near Henderson and Teal Point in northeastern Baxter County.

The tornado reportedly caused damage to multiple structures in Fulton County. According to reports to the National Weather Service, the storm ripped the fronts of multiple residences and destroyed a number of vehicles in Cherokee Village.



A listener shared this photo of her car windshield damaged by hail on U.S. Highway 62/412 in Salem.

In addition to the rotating winds, hail stones fairly equal to the size of grapefruits and softballs in the area. Hail was reported in Viola, Salem and Cherokee Village.

The tornado continued its path outside the area into Sharp County. From there, it followed a path along U.S. Highway 63 into Jonesboro. There were reports of multiple vehicles flipped over on U.S. Highway 67 in Walnut Ridge.

As of 6:30 Saturday morning, North Arkansas Electric Cooperative’s online outage viewer showed 121 of its members were without power. All but two of those members are in Fulton County. Entergy Arkansas was reporting two customers in Fulton County without power.

As of Friday night, there were no reports of injuries due to the storms. The National Weather Service reports it will send a crew to survey the damage on Saturday, starting around the Baxter/Fulton county line.

Some portions of the area could experience more activity Saturday morning. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Searcy and Newton counties in North Central Arkansas until 10.

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