2014 Mayflower–Vilonia tornado

2014 Mayflower–Vilonia tornado

The tornado at EF4 intensity in Mayflower, where three would be killed
Meteorological history
Formed	April 27, 2014, 7:06 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Dissipated	April 27, 2014, 8:02 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration	56 minutes
EF4 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds	190 mph (310 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	16
Injuries	193
Damage	$223,450,000 (2014 USD)
Part of the Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014 and Tornadoes of 2014

In the evening hours of April 27, 2014, a large and destructive tornado would move through several communities northwest of Little Rock, located in Arkansas. Part of a larger outbreak of severe weather, the tornado would devastate the towns of Paron, Mayflower, Lake Conway, Vilonia and El Paso, killing sixteen people and inuring over one hundred more. The tornado would retain peak windspeeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) as it moved through the town of Vilonia, where eight fatalities would be recorded.

The tornado touched down near the western edge of Pulaski County, moving to the northwest before impacting Paron at EF3 intensity, killing three people and damaging several residential buildings as it moved by. The tornado would continue to move to the northwest as it left the community in ruins, reaching EF4 intensity for the first time as it entered into the city limits of Mayflower. The tornado produced heavy structural damage as it tore through the southern edge of the town, killing three people. The tornado would later hit Vilonia, where is would produce high-end EF4 damage and would kill ten people. The tornado would dissipate a short time later.

Meteorological synopsis

Main article: Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014 § Meteorological synopsis

A strong mid-level shortwave trough developed into a closed low-pressure area as the system occluded over the central High Plains on April 27, 2014. An associated surface cyclone reached peak intensity while a trailing cold front moved eastward across eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and northern Texas. There were two areas where severe weather was expected, morning pre-frontal convection from Kansas and Oklahoma into Missouri and Iowa and warm sector supercell development across southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas into Arkansas. The Storm Prediction Center indicated this system for six days in advance on its 4–8 day outlook.

Tornado summary

At 7:06 p.m. on April 27 (0006 UTC on April 28), a weak tornado touched down in extreme western Pulaski County, Arkansas, roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Paron, and tracked north-northeast. Within a minute, the tornado dramatically intensified and struck a small residential area at EF3 intensity. There, two homes were destroyed and another was severely damaged. One of the homes was built with bolts along the foundation perimeter and was reduced to a bare slab, normally indicative of EF5 strength; however, it was found that the anchor bolts were not secured with nuts and washers, and nearby vehicles were not moved, which indicated a lesser intensity. Three people were killed in that area. The storm weakened as it turned more northeasterly and moved through a forested area. Damage to trees and homes in this area was rated EF1. At 7:14 p.m. (0014 UTC), it struck Northpoint as an EF2, causing severe damage to several homes. Roofs were removed entirely from homes, though the walls on these structures remained mostly intact. After briefly crossing Lake Maumelle, the tornado caused significant tree damage between Roland and Natural Steps with some trees being stripped of their foliage and debarked. Moving through an unpopulated area, the tornado intensified before crossing the Arkansas River and entering Faulkner County around 7:26 p.m. (0026 UTC).

Impact in Mayflower

Track map of the tornado through southern Mayflower. The color-coded triangles indicate the level of damage at a specific location, and the red line indicates the path of the tornado.

Key

  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph

The tornado entered Faulkner County and struck the River Plantation subdivision at the southwest edge of Mayflower. Here, EF4 damage took place with large, two-story homes being leveled with only piles of debris left on their foundations. On the northeast side of the subdivision, one person was killed after debris struck the door of her storm shelter and opened it, exposing her to the tornado. The storm shelter's door was found to have been of sub-standard construction. Near where this fatality took place, large concrete road barriers were blown over and moved, and calculations revealed that this was also likely indicative of EF4 intensity. Just outside the subdivision, a power substation sustained major damage. Continuing northeast, the storm tore across the south edge of Mayflower and crossed AR 365 and I-40, tossing semi-trucks, cars, and road equipment from the highway. I-40 was closed for a time after the storm. A business district in this area experienced mainly EF3 damage, with 18-wheelers tossed, industrial buildings damaged or destroyed, and some nearby homes heavily damaged. A recreational vehicle dealership on the other side of the highway was completely destroyed at EF4 intensity (though meteorologist/civil engineer Tim Marshall applied an EF3 rating at this location due to structural flaws), along with most of the RVs; three of which were found wrapped around a nearby billboard. A vehicle repair shop, millwork company, construction company, and church in southern Mayflower were also destroyed, and a home improvement store was badly damaged. In addition to the fatality in the storm shelter, two other people were killed in Mayflower. The tornado then crossed Lake Conway, downing numerous trees and causing a mixture of EF2 and EF3 damage to homes along the lakeshore. Some block-foundation frame homes along with multiple mobile homes were swept into the lake by the tornado. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lost a clubhouse, shop, horse barn, residence, metal carports, shower house, and several dog kennels in this area, and eventually removed 627 tons of tornado debris from the lake. The tornado then caused mainly EF2 damage as it struck areas in and around Saltillo. Numerous homes, mobile homes, sheds, barns, trees, and a church were damaged or destroyed in the Saltillo area. Two homes near Saltillo had only interior walls left standing, with the damage to those homes rated EF3.

Damage to Vilonia

Track map of the tornado through western Vilonia.

Key

  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph

Further northeast, the tornado began to re-intensify dramatically as it approached the Vilonia Bypass (US 64), reaching EF4 strength for a second time. Just southwest of the bypass, some poorly-anchored homes were obliterated and swept from their foundations, and cars were tossed hundreds of yards away. Another frame home was left with only interior walls standing, and two mobile homes were obliterated with the frames thrown up to two streets away. Two children were killed in these homes.

Weather radar reflectivity data in 3D of the supercell that produced the Vilonia tornado

Shortly before 7:50 p.m. (0050 UTC), the tornado moved into the town of Vilonia at high-end EF4 strength, a town which was struck by an EF2 tornado that killed four people on April 25, 2011, three years and two days prior. The EF4 tornado first struck the recently built Vilonia Middle School, destroying the top floor and causing most walls to collapse. With winds estimated as high as 190 mph (310 km/h) and the circulation spanning 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km), the tornado moved through the town center. Numerous homes and businesses were destroyed with only piles of debris or bare slabs left behind, and vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, some of which were crushed into small balls or stripped down to their frames. Trees in town were completely debarked and denuded, low-lying shrubs were completely stripped and debarked, and extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred. An aerial flyover revealed an extensive swath of ground scouring through the town. A dollar store, a strip mall, two auto repair shops, the old city hall, a gas station, a church life center, a real estate office, an investment firm, an auto parts store, and a fried fish restaurant were all completely destroyed in downtown Vilonia. The crumpled remains of a 29,998-pound metal fertilizer tank was found behind the destroyed strip mall, nearly 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km) away from where it originated. Nine people were killed in the town. As it moved out of downtown Vilonia, it tore directly through the Parkwood Meadows subdivision at the northeast side of town. Entire rows of homes were reduced to bare slabs at this location, though it was revealed that the vast majority of the homes were nailed rather than bolted to their foundations, preventing an EF5 rating.

Continuing past Vilonia, the tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it passed just south of Williams Lake. A large metal arena building and a mobile home were destroyed in that area, with a few other structures sustaining EF1 damage nearby. Shortly after 8:00 p.m. (0100 UTC) the storm moved through densely forested areas and into White County, just west of El Paso. The tornado briefly regained EF2 status and destroyed two manufactured homes. One person was killed in one of the manufactured homes at this location. It soon dissipated at 8:02 p.m. (0106 UTC) roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) north-northeast of El Paso near a forested area. Overall, the tornado remained on the ground for 56 minutes, from 7:06 p.m. to 8:02 p.m. (0006 – 0102 UTC), and traveled along a 41.1 miles (66.1 km) path.

Aftermath

Damage

Aerial view of EF4 damage in Vilonia

The final rating of the tornado was a source of controversy, and the National Weather Service office in Little Rock noted that if this tornado occurred prior to the change to the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007, it likely would have been rated as an F5 due to numerous homes being swept clean from their foundations. However, it was revealed that almost every home in Vilonia lacked anchor bolts and were anchored with cut nails instead. The new scale accounts for homes that use cut nails instead of anchor bolts, which do not effectively provide resistance against violent tornadoes. The final decision on an EF4 rating was based on this as well. However, meteorologist/civil engineer Timothy P. Marshall noted in his survey of the damage that the rating assigned was "lower bound", and despite the presence of construction flaws, this doesn't rule out "the possibility that EF5 winds could have occurred." Further inspection from surveyors revealed that one home that was swept away along E Wicker St. was indeed properly bolted to its foundation. However, an inspection of the context surrounding the house revealed that small trees in a ditch near the home were still standing, and that the residence had possibly been pummeled by heavy debris from downtown Vilonia, exacerbating the level of destruction.

Fatalities

Sixteen people lost their lives due to the tornado while 193 others were injured. The 16 fatalities made the tornado the deadliest in Arkansas since an F4 tornado killed 35 on May 15, 1968. It was also the first EF4 tornado of 2014 in the United States, as well as the first EF4-rated tornado to impact Arkansas since May 24, 2011.

List of confirmed fatalities from the Mayflower tornado

Name	Age	County	City
Paula Blakemore	55	White County, AR	El Paso
Mark Bradley	51	Faulkner County, AR	Mayflower
Helen Greer	72
Robert Oliver	82
Jamye Collins	50		Vilonia
Jeffrey Hunter	22
Dennis Lavergne	52
Glenna Lavergne	53
David Mallory	58
Cameron Smith	8
Tyler Smith	7
Daniel Wassom	31
Tori Tittle	20	Saline County, AR	Paron
Rebekah Tittle	14
Rob Tittle

See also

• 2011 Super Outbreak, a tornado outbreak that produced an EF2 tornado in Vilonia 3 years prior
• Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023, a tornado outbreak nine years later that would produce an EF3 tornado that moved through Little Rock