Tornado record · Original Fujita scale
F2 tornado, Desha County, Arkansas, May 16, 1981
RatingF2
Deaths0
Injuries5
Length12.5 mi
Width660 yd
Path
Drawn as a straight line from the recorded start point (33.88, -91.65) to the end point (33.88, -91.43), which is all NOAA's record holds. The real track may have curved.
The record
- Date
- May 16, 1981, 10:23 PM (as recorded, Central Standard Time)
- Rating
- F2
- States
- Arkansas
- Counties
- Desha County, Lincoln County
- Near the path
- Dumas (approximate: towns the straight recorded line passes through)
- Path
- 12.5 miles long, up to 660 yards wide
- Casualties
- 0 deaths, 5 injuries
Other tornadoes on May 16, 1981
| Date | Rating | State | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1981 | F2 | Texas | 9.7 mi | 73 yd | 0 | 1 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Texas | 16.9 mi | 60 yd | 0 | 4 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Colorado | 0.1 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Texas | 3.6 mi | 47 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Kansas | 9.9 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Kansas | 32.3 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Louisiana | 20.1 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Louisiana | 24.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F1 | Arkansas | 10.5 mi | 440 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 1981 | F0 | Texas | 0.2 mi | 33 yd | 0 | 0 |
Tornado history nearby
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.