Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 16, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 16, 1981
Start: 1981-05-16T14:30
End: 1981-05-16T22:35
Location: Arkansas

May 16, 1981 · NWS MT · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 hail, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 5
Property damage: $525,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lafayette

When: May 16, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.100, -93.670

Tornado, Columbia

When: May 16, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Columbia County
Rating: F1
Path length: 10.5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.270, -93.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: May 16, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Coordinates: 33.850, -91.750

Tornado, Desha

When: May 16, 10:23 PM CST
Where: Desha County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 660 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.880, -91.650

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 16, 10:35 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.880, -91.550

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1981

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: 9982448, 9982449, 9982450, 9982451, 9982452.