Power Outage in Ashdown, AR

Numerous trees and power lines were downed across much of Little River County. A tree fell on a home on North Stewart Street in Ashdown. Numerous power poles and lines were snapped on LR 35, trapping a vehicle.

Large branches were blown down onto power lines leading to power outages in Ashdown. A light pole was blown down on South Wallace Drive.

An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds between 100-110 mph touched down on the Legacy Ranch along County Road 1 in Southern Little River County, bending the fence, stripping the siding and roofing material on a large barn, and flipping two semi trailers on their side. The tornado then moved northeast across County Road 4 and Highway 41, snapping power poles and trees. As the tornado continued moving northeast, several trees were snapped and uprooted as it entered the Wallace community. The First Baptist Church in Wallace lost several shingles, and several homes sustained minor roof damage along Highway 32, County Road 10, and County Road 76, primarily losing shingles. Two additional outbuildings and barns sustained minor damage. The tornado finally lifted just north of County Road 76.

An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds between 100-110 mph touched down on the Legacy Ranch along County Road 1 in Southern Little River County, bending the fence, stripping the siding and roofing material on a large barn, and flipping two semi trailers on their side. The tornado then moved northeast across County Road 4 and Highway 41, snapping power poles and trees. As the tornado continued moving northeast, several trees were snapped and uprooted as it entered the Wallace community. The First Baptist Church in Wallace lost several shingles, and several homes sustained minor roof damage along Highway 32, County Road 10, and County Road 76, primarily losing shingles. Two additional outbuildings and barns sustained minor damage. The tornado finally lifted just north of County Road 76.

Powerlines were downed on Jacks Isle Road and Hwy. 32 near Millwood Lake. northeast of Ashdown, Arkansas.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.

Numerous trees and powerlines were downed throughout the county.

Multiple reports of trees downed on Hwy. 59. A tree was also on a powerline on Hwy. 59 with other trees down on Hwy. 41.

Trees were downed in the Arden community. Widespread power outages were reported in the western portion of the county.

A downburst occurred on the southwest side of Ashdown which resulted in numerous trees and powerlines to be snapped in the town of Ashdown. As many as 50 county and city roads were closed in Little River County from the damaging winds which started approximately 8AM west of Ashdown. In the town of Ashdown trees were noted to point NE and N away from the downburst region very indicative of a strong straight line wind. Damage included numerous homes and businesses as well as a school. Very little structural damage occurred from the wind alone. Most of the damage was the result of falling trees. Maximum winds are estimated at 95-105 mph.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ike resulted in widespread trees and power lines downed throughout all of Little River County, Arkansas. Power outages were widespread as well with numerous residents without power during the height of the storm and days afterward. A tree was reported down on the roof top of a car in the town of Ashdown, Arkansas. Another tree was down on a home on Rankin Street in Ashdown as well. There were no injuries reported.

Lightning struck a transformer resulting in power outages.

After trying to recover from an ice storm two week earlier in the month, another even more devastating ice storm struck all of southwest Arkansas. Freezing rain resulted in ice accumulations ranging from 1/4 inch to as much as 6 inches. After taking a tour of the state, the Governor of Arkansas used words such as apocalyptic and cataclysmic to describe the damage. Power was knocked out across all of southwest Arkansas with nearly 300,000 homes and business without power due to thousands of trees and 2500 power poles either broken or toppled. Utility crews from 23 different states were summoned to help repair lines. Some residents were without power as late as the middle of January 2001.

An arctic air mass spilled southward out of the central plains and into the lower Mississippi Valley. This cold, surface air mass was overrun by a warm humid air mass which combined with a strong upper level storm system across west Texas. the result was widespread freezing rain across all of southwest Arkansas. The precipitation was a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and some light snow northwest of a Texarkana to Prescott Arkansas line while further east the precipitation was all freezing rain. Ice accumulations of two to four inches were common. An estimated 235,000 residents lost electrical power due to ice covered power lines snapping or ice covered trees splitting and falling across the lines. The was the worst storm in the history of the power companies suppling the power as far as damage but not total ice accumulations. A total of 29 transmission lines atop "H" shaped steel towers were snapped due to the weight of the ice. Numerous traffic accidents were also reported and many homes suffered damage from fallen trees and tree limbs. As a result, the Governor of Arkansas declared a State of Emergency for all of southwest Arkansas. Cleanup costs along reached upwards of 15 million dollars. Several Pine Plantations throughout southwest Arkansas suffered catastrophic damage from the ice storm with upwards of 25 million dollars worth of young trees destroyed.