LAKE CITY, ARKANSAS 04/02/2025
One of the strongest and longest track tornadoes on record for the 2025 storm season so far. Spawned from an explosively growing supercell that matured from a clear blue sky anvil with a single downdraft column in just under an hour to a sprawling superstructure where individual features of the storm are too large to be seen from the ground, fueled by convective hot air pouring in from the Gulf. At 6:20PM, a violent rope vortex with a characteristic 'drillbit' base was spotted by ground crew, already spinning at high F3 strength and quickly grew into a several hundred yard diameter wedge with high F3/low F4 rotation. Note the horizontal snake-like subvortices extending out from the wedge like tendrils. The wedge was on the ground for well over half an hour, categorizing it as 'long track' before it gradually vanished and was swallowed up by the RFD behind the mesocyclonic wall. This storm was responsible for a number of injuries around the Lake City area. Footage from StormRunnerMedia.
ETA: The SRM crew's call in to the local sheriff's dept immediately upon visual confirmation of tornado on the ground prompted a proper Tornado Emergency, the accompanying sirens and cell phone alerts to be issued for Lake City, possibly minutes ahead of what would have happened if they waited for Norman OK Severe Storms Center to make the contact. These few minutes definitely saved lives and prevented more people from getting hurt.
