MonticelloLive

Around 3 p.m., the National Weather Service placed Ashley County under a Tornado Warning, due to the report of a tornado just south of the Louisiana state line, moving toward the northeast, while Drew County was under a tornado watch, as the storm traveled our way.

At approximately 3:45, Drew County was placed under a Tornado Warning, based on a “tornadic rotation” taking place over the Monticello, Montongo, and Florence areas.

Just before 4 p.m., there were confirmed reports of damage in the Jerome / Boydell area, leaving trees down across HWY 165. 

This seemed to end the weather system’s damage, as the state began to focus on the tornado’s that were tearing up portions of central and northern Arkansas.  According to Fox News, there were a total of 11 weather related deaths in Arkansas Tuesday.

Around 8:30, bad weather again caught everyone’s attention, when a tornado warning went into effect for Lincoln and Jefferson Counties, and a severe thunderstorm warning, again covered Drew County. 

Although Drew County never went back into a tornado warning, there was a lot of damage done in the area just east of the fairgrounds, on HWY 35 East.

Crews were not able to confirm whether it was a tornado or strong winds, which caused around a dozen trees to be blown down near and across HWY 35.

Other nearby communities suffering damage were the Old Deane Road area, reporting numerous light poles and trees down, and Old Troy Road, where several trees were down.  We were also told that the Bates Sawmill had it’s roof blown off, and several large metal buildings and sheds in the area near the 2 new “I-69″ signs, were leveled.

Along with the trees being down, electric lines were down across the highway, as well as power lines and at least one transformer being down in nearby yards.

Early reports said that a tree fell on a truck, but when we arrived on the scene, witness seemed to believe that the truck ran into the tree, as it was down from the storm.  Witnesses had spoken to the passengers in the vehicle, and said no one was hurt.

The Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. responded quickly to the area, assisting motorists, and clearing the roadway.

State road crews and Entergy were also called out.

There were no confirmed injuries, but there was an early report of an ambulance meeting someone who was re-routed from the area via Midway Route.

The weather cleared for a while, and rain started again around midnight, as crew were still in place, restoring power, and clearing access routes.

Shown here are trees that fell across the road between Crackerbox and Drew Central.