Tornado Outbreak of December 14, 1987

Six people were killed, hundreds were injured, and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed by a tornado that devastated West Memphis (Crittenden County) on December 14, 1987.

The tornado was spawned by storms that started in California, “paralyzed cities in Texas and New Mexico,” and “dumped snow on the Midwest.”

The tornado touched down southwest of West Memphis at 9:40 p.m. on December 14, 1987, and, traveling northeast, cut a path of destruction through both commercial and residential areas of the city. West Memphis did not have tornado warning sirens in 1987, but officials said they would not have been of any use anyway, since the twister formed so suddenly.

The tornado destroyed Maddux Elementary School, a truck stop, and an apartment building. Six people were killed, including a seventeen-year-old boy from Heth (St. Francis County) and an eleven-month-old girl who died in a smashed apartment. Injured people streamed into Crittenden Memorial Hospital, where an administrator said, “I lost count at 60 in the emergency room… They’ve come in bloody, lot of fractures.” The hospital ultimately treated 120 injured people, while another 130 went to hospitals across the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee.

A witness to the destruction said that “it’s terrifying, really, to look at. Many of the homes were flattened. Several businesses are leveled. One home…a pick-up truck was on top of the home,” while a police officer stated that “it looked like a bomber came through and leveled our area.”

The tornado’s path had become 300 feet wide and two miles long before it jumped to Tennessee, causing further damage; the same storm system spawned twisters in Missouri and Mississippi. Around 300 law enforcement officers from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi converged on West Memphis to search the rubble for victims, and other people, including a group of Mennonites from Mississippi, came to the city to offer assistance. About 100 Arkansas National Guard troops were sent to combat looters.

Damage estimates ranged from $22 million to $35 million for a storm that destroyed 235 homes and thirty-five businesses, while an additional seventy-five buildings suffered moderate damage. Three apartment complexes were hit, with 153 apartments destroyed, twenty-five sustaining major damage, and forty-two with minor damage. The storm left 1,500 people homeless. Governor Bill Clinton declared it a state disaster area after surveying the wreckage, and President Ronald Reagan designated Crittenden County as a federal disaster area on December 17, 1987.

For additional information:
“Five Dead, Dozens Injured in Tornado.” Chillicothe [Missouri] Constitution-Tribune, December 15, 1987, p. 10.

Hirsh, Michael. “Powerful Storm System Blasts across Midwest, Kills 11.” Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, December 15, 1987, p. 10.

Leveritt, Mara. “Echoes of the Wind.” Arkansas Times, March 1988, pp. 42–45, 56–58.

McDaniel, Kevin, and Noel Oman. “Clinton Oks Aid for Victims.” Arkansas Democrat, December 16, 1987, pp. 1A, 17A.

“Reagan Declares Site of Tornado a Disaster Area.” Arkansas Gazette, December 19, 1987, p. 9A.

“Some Looting Goes on in Town Hit by Tornado.” Galveston [Texas] Daily News, December 17, 1987, p. 8B.

Steed, Stephen. “West Memphis Digs Out.” Arkansas Gazette, December 16, 1987, pp. 1A, 12A.

Steed, Stephen, and Leeanne Spigner Wisdom. “Disaster Aid Expected.” Arkansas Gazette, December 17, 1987, pp. 1A, 4A.

Storm Events Database. National Centers for Environmental Information, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9989654 (accessed March 13, 2025).

“Tornado Kills Six, Injures over 130.” Galveston Daily News, December 16, 1987, p. 10B.

“Tornado Strikes West Memphis, at Least 4 Dead.” Arkansas Democrat, December 15, 1987, pp. 1A, 6A.

“Twister Kills 4; 60 Hurt.” Arkansas Gazette, December 15, 1987, pp. 1A, 8A.

Mark K. Christ
Little Rock, Arkansas