Shortly after midnight on Sunday, May 26th, a tornadic supercell moved into Arkansas from Oklahoma, wreaking havoc across Northwest Arkansas. As of an 8pm briefing on Sunday night led by Governor Sarah Sanders, the death toll in Arkansas stood at eight, with three dead in Benton County alone.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has released their preliminary findings from this deadly stormcell, and has found that two tornadoes occurred in Decatur, with EF-3 level damage (136-165mph winds), as well as two tornadoes in Bentonville and Rogers. Based on the damage, the NWS estimates that wind speeds in Benton County were about 80 to 95 miles per hour.
“Based on our survey yesterday, combined with a review of radar data, we believe the fatality that occurred in a mobile home east of Rogers and near Beaver Lake was the result of straight-line wind damage from the rear flank downdraft,” the NWS said.
Images shared on social media and in local news media show widespread devastation in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas—countless trees down, houses destroyed, roofs ripped off, powerlines in shambles.
Many people found themselves stranded with no way to even leave their driveways due to the massive trees that came crashing down. We can only imagine the scale of the devastation across Northwest Arkansas’s world-class trail system. At this time, the full extent of the damage is still unclear.
Find a full update on the trail damage in Bentonville, here.
Bentonville Bike Fest canceled
The Bentonville Bike Fest was underway on Memorial Day Weekend when the storms hit, and photos and footage from the event show tents destroyed, bikes toppled, and even a metal pole stabbed through the door of a vehicle. Needless to say, the event was subsequently canceled.
On Sunday, the Trailblazers, Northwest Arkansas’s trail advocacy group, asked “everybody to PLEASE avoid all trails for the next 48 hours as we assess the damage, from downed trees to power lines and transformers.”
They went on to explain:
“As you can imagine, this process will take some time. Plus, the possibility of additional trees and lines falling is still a threat. Over the next few weeks as you get back out there, please email [email protected] with gps coordinates of any trees or obstacles you encounter so we can put it on our list of needs to address. We’ll try to keep you all as updated as we can on conditions and let you know when we need volunteers for cleanup! Remember to check in on your neighbors, show kindness, and we will get through this together.”
Upcoming trail work day on June 1st
On Monday, the Trailblazers were already planning a work day for Saturday, June 1st. They said that this will be a “BIG, FUN trail workday party this coming Saturday complete with food, drinks, and maybe even a DJ! We have seen how much our community has come together over the past 24 hours and is ready to help with trail cleanup, and we’re turning that into a celebration of resiliency.”
We’ve reached out to the Trailblazers for comment and more information about the upcoming trail work day and will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
Our thoughts are with the entire NWA community as they deal with the aftermath of these devastating storms.
Update: “‘Thousands of tons of debris’ need to be removed to reopen Bentonville trails.“
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May 29, 2024
May 29, 2024