2020 Jonesboro tornado

In the afternoon of March 28, 2020, a large and intense tornado moved through Craighead County, Arkansas, United States, striking the eastern portions of Jonesboro. The tornado, which was on the ground for 16 minutes and tracked for 12.55 miles (20.20 km), injured 22 people and damaged an estimated 300 buildings. The tornado, rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, heavily damaged planes and hangars at the Jonesboro Municipal Airport and damaged The Mall at Turtle Creek beyond repair. The tornado was captured widely on video, being seen on traffic cameras and tower cameras that were shown to the public during live coverage of the event.

The tornado first touched down at 4:58 pm Central Daylight Time (CDT) reaching EF2 intensity as it impacted a retail area. The tornado continued to strengthen as it neared The Mall at Turtle Creek, which sustained heavy damage. To the northeast, the tornado reached EF3 intensity at it directly impacted the Jonesboro Municipal Airport, where hangars were destroyed and a Beechcraft King Air 200 was blown down the airport's runway. At a railroad located to the northeast, 112 railcars were blown off. The tornado slightly wavered in intensity at this location. Continuing to track to the northeast, it again reached EF3 intensity as it struck a subdivision of homes. Wind speeds as the tornado struck the homes were estimated to have been as high as 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). The tornado then began to consistently weaken, dissipating 16 minutes after touching down.