Tornado outbreak of January 3, 1949

A deadly tornado outbreak produced at least 14 destructive tornadoes across Kansas, Louisiana, and Arkansas on Monday, January 3, 1949. The worst of the outbreak was a deadly, devastating and violent (estimated) F4 tornado that tore though Warren, Arkansas. Part of a multi-state family, the tornado killed at least 55 people, a majority of the deaths in the outbreak, and is now tied with the Fort Smith tornado from 1898 as the deadliest in Arkansas history. In addition, a pair of deadly F3s in Louisiana, along with a few other strong tornadoes in Arkansas, claimed five more lives. Overall, a total of 60 or more people were killed from the outbreak, and over 500 sustained injuries.

Confirmed tornadoes
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/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 (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.