Jonesboro Tornado: Violent Twister Caught On Camera Ripping Through Northeast Arkansas Town

This is truly horrifying…

A violent tornado has just gone through the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. At this point it’s unclear exactly how much damage was caused, or how many people may have been injured or worse, but the immediate videos coming out in the aftermath of the tornado are seriously horrifying.

Not even an hour ago, weather reports lit up when the tornado touched down and gained strength rolling through the northeastern Arkansas town. Jonesboro’s population is about 80,000 people; it is home to Arkansas State University, as well.

As you can see (below), TV weatherman were frantic in trying to get the call out for people to take shelter immediately in the city:

Breaking: A confirmed tornado is on the ground near Jonesboro, Arkansas. There are early reports of significant damage in the area. pic.twitter.com/wRfU8tpgrl

— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) March 28, 2020

And traffic cameras throughout the city caught the tornado on camera as it built up strength and eventually touched down in the metro area:

????️ CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Watch as a #tornado moved through the #Jonesboro, #Arkansas area moments ago on this @myARDOT traffic camera. #ARwx ????️ pic.twitter.com/CTj6BLDAIT

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) March 28, 2020

Holy… just wow.

Immediate footage pulled from near the tornado seems to show its immense strength and powerful destruction more than anything, too:

Close range video of the Jonesboro tornado from Braden Smith #arwx pic.twitter.com/dhhws0Pohj

— James Bryant (@KATVJames) March 28, 2020

Unreal. We can’t even imagine being caught in something like that. So, so scary.

The aftermath looked bad, too, as residents in the town shared pics and videos on Snapchat and other platforms to show how badly the city had been hit:

Some of the tornado damage around Jonesboro, AR from the Snapchat stories map. Interesting way to view ground information FAST #arwx #tornado pic.twitter.com/RkutUWLJuD

— Peter Forister ⚡️????⚡️ (@forecaster25) March 28, 2020

*this is not my video*
Praying for the people of #Jonesboro pic.twitter.com/GhfVmmFhfy

— Alyssa Ann (@lafilledefeu) March 28, 2020

Truly, truly horrifying stuff.

According to multiple news reports coming from local journalists in the area, major damage is being reported in multiple places, including a mall in the town. As you can see from the clips (above), quite a few buildings have been seriously damaged or destroyed, as well. Just awful, awful stuff.

According to CNN, authorities were quickly on scene doing damage control and search and rescue missions in the area around the Mall at Turtle Creek, and near the University where the tornado touched down and ran through the city. As you can see (above), video from the scene showed substantial damage in some areas of the city, including flattened buildings and homes, and even serious physical damage to the main mall building.

This major tornado is part of a larger pattern of severe weather ripping through the mid-South and midwest throughout Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The service’s Storm Prediction Center issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert and accompanying tornado watch for parts of the Midwest through Saturday night, the sum of which affect about five million people in multiple states ranging from Arkansas north into Iowa and related areas.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the thick of things here — residents, first responders, and anyone else affected by this sudden and scary situation.

[Image via Twitter]