Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, March 29, 1976

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, March 29, 1976
Start: 1976-03-29T07:15
End: 1976-03-29T18:30
Location: Arkansas

March 29, 1976 · 22 events in 15 counties and zones

10 hail, 8 tornado, 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 6
Injuries: 70
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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

10 hail, 8 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Benton

When: March 29, 7:15 AM CST
Where: Benton County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.180, -94.530

Hail, Crawford

When: March 29, 11:45 AM CST
Where: Crawford County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.430, -94.350

Hail, Madison

When: March 29, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.080, -93.730

Hail, Pike

When: March 29, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Pike County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -93.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Pike

When: March 29, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Pike County
Coordinates: 34.320, -93.830

Hail, Clark

When: March 29, 12:50 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.270, -93.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: March 29, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Coordinates: 34.270, -93.450

Hail, Garland

When: March 29, 1:35 PM CST
Where: Garland County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -93.070

Tornado, Hot Spring

When: March 29, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Hot Spring County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7.9 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.280, -93.180

Hail, Hot Spring

When: March 29, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Hot Spring County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -93.170

Hail, Van Buren

When: March 29, 2:48 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.520, -92.620

Hail, Pulaski

When: March 29, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -92.230

Tornado, Pulaski

When: March 29, 3:07 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Rating: F3
Path length: 4.7 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.870, -92.170

Tornado, Lonoke

When: March 29, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 64 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 34.900, -92.100

Tornado, Cleburne

When: March 29, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Cleburne County
Rating: F3
Path length: 16.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.550, -92.130

Hail, Columbia

When: March 29, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Columbia County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.100, -93.470

Tornado, Lawrence

When: March 29, 4:49 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 36.250, -91.250

Tornado, Lawrence

When: March 29, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.870, -91.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Craighead

When: March 29, 5:09 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Coordinates: 35.900, -90.800

Tornado, Craighead

When: March 29, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.880, -90.970

Tornado, Greene

When: March 29, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.950, -90.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: March 29, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Coordinates: 36.000, -90.820

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Cleburne	1976-03-29				Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1976 Every state in 1976 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1976

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: 9980348, 9980349, 9980350, 9980351, 9980352, 9980353, 9975775, 9975776, 9982286, 9982287, 9982288, 9982289, 9982290, 9982291, 9982292, 9982293, 9982294, 9982295, 9982296, 9982297, 9982298, 9982299.