The National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Benton County. Besides the damage from the rotation, straight line winds south of the tornado path also resulted in damage.
FIRST TORNADO
The first confirmed tornado began in Watts, OK and traveled 9.1 miles northeast into the southern part of Siloam Springs. The maximum width of the damage path was 900 yards. It was rated an EF-1 with wind speeds near 90 to 100 MPH.
This began at 12:01 AM and lifted at 12:09 AM.
SECOND TORNADO
**UPDATE: The National Weather Service upgraded the second tornado rating after reevaluating an area in Siloam Springs. It has now been classified as an EF-2. Wind speeds are estimated to be between 110 to 120 MPH.
The second tornado began on the north side of Siloam Springs as the first tornado lifted. This tornado touched down at 12:08 AM. It traveled northeast through Highfill, Cave Springs, Rogers, and into southeast Avoca. It lifted at 12:38 AM. This means the tornado was on the ground for 30 minutes.
The length of the path was 31.4 miles and it was 1.5 miles at its widest point. It was rated an EF-1 with winds at 100 to 110 MPH. This is a strong EF-1 tornado, almost near EF-2 strength.
STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS
The rotation stayed along the tornado path, but just to the south there was an area of strong winds pushing out from the south part of the couplet. The circled area is where the straight-line wind damage could have been: between Siloam Springs and the Beaver Lake area.
Winds were near 80 to 90 MPH. The person who died from a tree falling their home was due to these winds, not the tornado.
The National Weather Service is continuing to survey the areas, but this is the information given to the public as of 10:24PM on Tuesday.
-Sabrina
