MOUNTAINBURG - The storm cleanup has begun following the tornado that hit Mountainburg in Crawford County on Monday.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa announced over the weekend that the tornado that hit the community on Friday afternoon was rated an EF-1 by storm surveyors who responded to the scene on Saturday.
The National Weather Service had issued a Tornado Warning for Sebastian and Crawford Counties just after 4:00 PM on Friday afternoon, advising that the storm capable of producing the tornado was headed for Rudy and Mountainburg. Shortly thereafter, a number of viewers including Chris Harrell of Mayflower sent video indicating that they had seen the funnel as it crossed Interstate 49.
The storm did not cause any major injuries. Emergency crews did work for several hours to extract residents who were trapped in their home for some time. KISR 93’s Fred Baker reported over his radio station on Friday that an expectant mother had gone into labor during the storm and was rushed to the hospital to complete her delivery.
The National Weather Service also indicated that a second tornado warned storm that moved through Sebastian and Franklin Counties around 5:30 PM had produced an EF-0 tornado near the Lavaca community before it crossed the Arkansas River heading toward Mulberry.
Other tornadoes were confirmed in several locations in Faulkner, Howard, and Ashley Counties on Friday night.