The tornado was confirmed and rated high-end EF2 by National Weather Service survey crews.

[7] On April 27, 2014, in the late evening hours, a violent EF4 tornado passed through Mayflower and continued into Vilonia shortly before 7:50 p.m. (0050 UTC).

16 people were killed, several homes in one subdivision were swept clean off their foundations, a 15-ton fertilizer tank was thrown ¾ of a mile and several businesses were damaged or destroyed, including the new Vilonia Intermediate School, which had been set to open in the fall.

The NWS office in Little Rock said that if it had occurred before the Enhanced Fujita scale was implemented in 2007, it would more than likely have been rated F5.

There was consideration for upgrading the tornado to EF5 status, but due to the low quality of construction, the EF4 rating stands.

[8] On May 7, 2014, President Barack Obama visited the city to view the damage and reconstruction efforts.

With him were Governor Mike Beebe (D), Senator Mark Pryor (D) and Representative Tim Griffin (R).

[5] At the 2020 United States census, there were 4,288 people, 1,432 households and 1,211 families residing in the city.

Nearby secondary educational institutions include the Arkansas State University: Beebe Campus, Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, and University of Central Arkansas in Conway.