Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 23, 1971

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 23, 1971
Start: 1971-05-23T18:30
End: 1971-05-23T21:00
Location: Arkansas

May 23, 1971 · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 4
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Johnson

When: May 23, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Johnson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 14.9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.700, -93.680

Tornado, Polk

When: May 23, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F2
Path length: 26.7 mi
Path width: 600 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.620, -94.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Conway

When: May 23, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Conway County
Coordinates: 35.280, -92.580

Tornado, Conway

When: May 23, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Conway County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.150, -92.650

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1971

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9982190, 9982191, 9982192, 9982193.