Little Rock AFB weather flight chases down EF-2 twister

Published May 5, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Nestor Cruz
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Dark clouds swirled overhead as sirens wailed into the night, signaling the impending arrival of a tornado.

Base housing residents had enough advance warning to gather their loved ones into a safe place before the tornado struck Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., on April 25, 2011. Homes were damaged and a few suffered minor injuries, but no lives were lost that night thanks to the early warning sirens.

Forecasters from the 19th Operations Support Squadron's weather flight tracked and monitored the tornado which turned out to be an EF-2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (111-135 mph).

"We look at radial velocity which tells us how fast winds are going in and out of the radar," said Staff Sgt. Michael Winders, a 19th OSS weather flight technician. He noticed a shear, or change in wind speed, as well as indications of a possible tornado. It was approximately 7 p.m.

7:05 p.m. -- Sergeant Winders called his counterparts at the 26th Operational Weather Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

"I called the 26th OWS to let them know I thought I saw a tornado to the south of the base on our radar," said Sergeant Winders. "Then within the next 10 minutes, the track of the storm continued toward us. At approximately 15 minutes after the hour, we issued the warning."

Sergeant Winders said the standard lead time for issuing a tornado warning is 30 minutes. Team Little Rock's weather flight had nearly an hour lead time.

Approximately 7:43 p.m. -- "After we had the warning out, we got into what is called the 'cone of silence' where you don't have any radar coverage ... it's just right there over the radar," Sergeant Winders said. "As it came out on the north side of the radar, we picked back up on the signature again and actually saw a funnel cloud move through."

The weather flight team checked the radar again, noting the velocity, and saw a tornado signature was still moving northward. As it dissipated, another tornado signature appeared on the radar. The weather flight called the base command post and advised them to fire the sirens continuously.

7:48 p.m. -- Command post fires the sirens.

"The 20 minutes leading up to the tornado, I was looking at radar, then running outside [to observe], then looking at radar," said Sergeant Winders. People stood on the flightline ramp, watching as the storm developed before their eyes. As he ran outside to observe the storm again, he advised the onlookers to take cover.

7:52 p.m. -- The tornado struck the base.

According to the weather flight's post tornado assessment, the tornado's path ran through base housing, past the 19th Medical Group clinic and touched the skate park. After tossing a couple skate ramps, the tornado veered left and crossed the commissary and base exchange parking lots, flipping cars along the way. It ruptured water tanks as it passed Bldg. 470, traveled down the hill past the 19th Security Forces Squadron and clipped Bldg. 430 before tearing through the base fire station and a handful of aircraft on the flightline.

"[We] never want to be right about something that could potentially kill somebody," said Staff Sgt. Alfred Brooks, 19th OSS NCO-in-charge of airfield services. "We actually got very lucky. The tornado that touched down on base ... it was the first time that particular one had touched down. The other one was the one that had missed us to the north and destroyed Vilonia.

"If the tornado that hit Vilonia came here, it would have caused catastrophic damage, even more than what we saw here," he added.

Sergeant Winders is grateful for the teamwork that helped save lives that fateful evening.

"I was the only one on shift and everybody rallied around me knowing that severe weather was coming ... people in our shop was here because they knew I would need help," said Sergeant Winders. "People try to use the word 'hero' but I'm just trying to do my job. I just happened to be the point man [when this happened]."