Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, December 24, 1982

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, December 24, 1982
Start: 1982-12-24T01:30
End: 1982-12-24T23:55
Location: Arkansas

December 24, 1982 · 51 events in 25 counties and zones

21 tornado, 15 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 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: 2
Injuries: 13
Property damage: $9.9 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 51

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

21 tornado, 15 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Stone

When: December 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Stone County
Coordinates: 35.870, -92.120

Tornado, Stone

When: December 24, 2:30 AM CST
Where: Stone County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.750, -92.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Baxter

When: December 24, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Baxter County
Coordinates: 36.330, -92.380

Hail, Howard

When: December 24, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Howard County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.870, -93.920

Tornado, Pike

When: December 24, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Pike County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.180, -93.800

Hail, Little River

When: December 24, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Little River County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.720, -94.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Little River

When: December 24, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Little River County
Coordinates: 33.720, -94.400

Hail, Sevier

When: December 24, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Sevier County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.970, -94.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Sevier

When: December 24, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Sevier County
Coordinates: 33.970, -94.170

Tornado, Howard

When: December 24, 3:47 PM CST
Where: Howard County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 34.030, -93.930

Hail, Saline

When: December 24, 3:59 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.570, -92.580

Hail, Faulkner

When: December 24, 4:12 PM CST
Where: Faulkner County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.950, -92.430

Hail, Pope

When: December 24, 4:16 PM CST
Where: Pope County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.430, -93.020

Hail, Pope

When: December 24, 4:16 PM CST
Where: Pope County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.280, -93.130

Hail, Saline

When: December 24, 4:16 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.630, -92.570

Hail, Pulaski

When: December 24, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -92.320

Tornado, Faulkner

When: December 24, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Faulkner County
Rating: F3
Path length: 16.5 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.980, -92.270

Hail, Pulaski

When: December 24, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.730, -92.280

Tornado, Pulaski

When: December 24, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.750, -92.270

Tornado, Sharp

When: December 24, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Sharp County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.180, -91.620

Tornado, Fulton

When: December 24, 5:09 PM CST
Where: Fulton County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.250, -91.600

Tornado, Poinsett

When: December 24, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Poinsett County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.670, -90.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Lonoke

When: December 24, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County
Coordinates: 34.780, -91.920

Hail, Jefferson

When: December 24, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.230, -91.900

Hail, Jefferson

When: December 24, 5:46 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 34.230, -91.900

Tornado, Woodruff

When: December 24, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F1
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.270, -91.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Lonoke

When: December 24, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County
Coordinates: 34.780, -91.920

Tornado, Woodruff

When: December 24, 6:18 PM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.170, -91.330

Tornado, Woodruff

When: December 24, 6:24 PM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.220, -91.180

Tornado, Woodruff

When: December 24, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F2
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.170, -91.250

Tornado, Jackson

When: December 24, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.350, -91.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Perry

When: December 24, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Perry County
Coordinates: 35.000, -92.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Lonoke

When: December 24, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County
Coordinates: 34.780, -91.750

Tornado, Poinsett

When: December 24, 6:43 PM CST
Where: Poinsett County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.620, -90.900

Tornado, Jackson

When: December 24, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.370, -91.080

Tornado, Craighead

When: December 24, 6:47 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.750, -90.970

Hail, Jefferson

When: December 24, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 34.230, -91.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: December 24, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Columbia County
Coordinates: 33.250, -93.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Pulaski

When: December 24, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Coordinates: 34.970, -92.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Pulaski

When: December 24, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Coordinates: 34.870, -92.100

Tornado, Craighead

When: December 24, 7:32 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.780, -90.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: December 24, 7:32 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Coordinates: 36.050, -90.680

Tornado, Saline

When: December 24, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Rating: F2
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 250 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.470, -92.670

Tornado, Craighead

When: December 24, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.770, -90.670

Hail, Craighead

When: December 24, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Craighead County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.900, -90.580

Hail, Nevada

When: December 24, 8:55 PM CST
Where: Nevada County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 33.580, -93.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Nevada

When: December 24, 8:55 PM CST
Where: Nevada County
Coordinates: 33.580, -93.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Independence

When: December 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Independence County
Coordinates: 35.730, -91.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: December 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Coordinates: 36.070, -90.950

Tornado, White

When: December 24, 11:50 PM CST
Where: White County
Rating: F0
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 250 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.100, -91.480

Tornado, Woodruff

When: December 24, 11:55 PM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F0
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 250 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.120, -91.450

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, Faulkner	1982-12-24				Direct
Tornado, Woodruff	1982-12-24				Direct

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1982 Every state in 1982 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1982

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: 9990458, 9989547, 9989759, 9989760, 9989761, 9989762, 9989763, 9989764, 9989765, 9989766, 9989767, 9989768, 9989769, 9989770, 9989771, 9989772, 9989773, 9989774, 9989775, 9989776, 9989777, 9989778, 9989779, 9989780, 9989781, 9989782, 9989783, 9989784, 9989785, 9989786, 9989787, 9989788, 9989789, 9989790, 9989791, 9989792, 9989793, 9989794, 9989795, 9989796, and more.