Fort Smith, Arkansas, tornadoes of January 11, 1898

On January 11, 1898, a series of tornadoes affected the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri, as well as the Indian Territory, presently Oklahoma. At least five in all, these included the Fort Smith tornado, which struck the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Retroactively rated a violent (F4) tornado on the modern-day Fujita scale, it was part of a tornado family that formed 60 mi to the southwest, and struck the city around midnight, killing 55 people and injuring 113. The twister nearly destroyed the newly constructed Fort Smith High School that had opened in fall 1897. Other tornadoes were reported that night in Arkansas and Missouri. The Fort Smith tornado is tied with one that struck Warren in 1949, also rated F4, for the deadliest tornado to strike Arkansas.

Confirmed tornadoes
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.

Fort Smith, Arkansas
Part of a long-lived tornado family, this event may have first damaged trees near the Arkansas River in Oklahoma, beginning near Cache Creek. Intermittent damage to vegetation continued past the Poteau River. The tornado was confirmable at the Fort Smith National Cemetery, where it leveled a 1 mi, 5 ft stretch of masonry, downed trees, and severely damaged a lodge. Farther on, it extensively damaged a schoolhouse. The tornado then tracked into the business district of Fort Smith, causing scores of fatalities. "Dozens" of businesses and residences were flattened, some homesites being left bare. At city hall, 40 large trees, up to 50 ft tall, were felled, and an iron flagstaff, embedded in granite and fastened by 1 in guy wires, was pulled out, the wires being snapped. A 500 ft brick wall, 1 ft thick and 4 + 1/2 ft tall, was leveled. A three-story brick building was moved off its foundation, and 30 homes in town, mostly frame, were destroyed, along with a quartet of churches. 130 other homes of similar composition were damaged. An iron beam, driven into a brick wall, could not be dislodged, clothing was found 30 mi away, and signage from Fort Smith was carried 22 mi. Initial reports indicated that 33 people died instantly, while 18 later succumbed of injury. Of the 113 injuries, 44 were severe, 73 minor. Final tabulations totaled 113 dead and 113 injured, including three dead near Van Buren, where rural farmsteads were wrecked.