Jonesboro (Craighead County)

Damage in Jonesboro (1968)

Way back on May 15th, 1968, the town of Jonesboro was winding down after a usual spring day. Most residents were in bed, or preparing for the next day. Little did these people know, a strong and violent tornado had just ripped through the Jackson County town of Tuckerman. The tornado strengthens as it moves into Jonesboro, it is now nearly the size of two football fields. The residents of Jonesboro still have no idea of what is coming, as no warning had been issued.

This tornado caused significant damage to the cities infrastructure, the tornado struck Valley View schools near old Highway 39—now Highway 49, destroying 6 homes.  Moving east-northeast the twister crossed US 63, onto Stadium Boulevard, and demolished the Fairview neighborhood with 200+ mile per hour winds. Hundreds of people were injured, sadly leaving 34 people dead, making this one of Arkansas deadliest tornadoes. It is noted that the only weather advisory for the day was "possible hail, and strong wind." This tornado pushed the issue for better and more accurate weather forecasting and warnings that we now have today.