Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, November 23, 1983

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, November 23, 1983
Start: 1983-11-23T01:41
End: 1983-11-23T06:45
Location: Arkansas

November 23, 1983 · NWS AT · 27 events in 20 counties and zones

23 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 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: 6
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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

23 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ouachita

When: November 23, 1:41 AM CST
Where: Ouachita County
Coordinates: 33.480, -92.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Little River

When: November 23, 1:48 AM CST
Where: Little River County
Coordinates: 33.680, -94.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Sevier

When: November 23, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Sevier County
Coordinates: 34.170, -94.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Little River

When: November 23, 2:05 AM CST
Where: Little River County
Coordinates: 33.670, -94.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: November 23, 2:15 AM CST
Where: Howard County
Coordinates: 33.750, -93.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: November 23, 2:25 AM CST
Where: Lafayette County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 33.350, -93.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Hempstead

When: November 23, 2:35 AM CST
Where: Hempstead County
Coordinates: 33.580, -93.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: November 23, 2:35 AM CST
Where: Columbia County
Coordinates: 33.130, -93.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Faulkner

When: November 23, 2:36 AM CST
Where: Faulkner County
Coordinates: 35.130, -92.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: November 23, 2:50 AM CST
Where: Lafayette County
Coordinates: 33.370, -93.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Arkansas

When: November 23, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Arkansas County
Coordinates: 34.500, -91.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: November 23, 3:05 AM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 34.700, -93.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: November 23, 3:10 AM CST
Where: Columbia County
Coordinates: 33.100, -93.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Garland

When: November 23, 3:20 AM CST
Where: Garland County
Coordinates: 34.430, -93.320

Tornado, Woodruff

When: November 23, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.280, -91.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: November 23, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Columbia County
Coordinates: 33.270, -93.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: November 23, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 33.920, -92.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When: November 23, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Union County
Coordinates: 33.220, -92.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodruff

When: November 23, 4:10 AM CST
Where: Woodruff County
Coordinates: 35.250, -91.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 23, 4:34 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 34.320, -91.870

Tornado, Poinsett

When: November 23, 4:35 AM CST
Where: Poinsett County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.570, -90.720

Tornado, Poinsett

When: November 23, 4:40 AM CST
Where: Poinsett County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.570, -90.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 23, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 34.320, -91.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Drew

When: November 23, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Drew County
Coordinates: 33.630, -91.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: November 23, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 35.430, -91.120

Tornado, Lee

When: November 23, 5:45 AM CST
Where: Lee County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.9 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.770, -90.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Crittenden

When: November 23, 6:45 AM CST
Where: Crittenden County
Coordinates: 35.150, -90.180

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1983 Every state in 1983 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1983

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: 9989374, 9989375, 9989376, 9989377, 9989378, 9989379, 9989380, 9989381, 9989382, 9989383, 9989384, 9989385, 9989386, 9989387, 9989388, 9989389, 9989390, 9989391, 9989392, 9989393, 9989394, 9989395, 9989396, 9989397, 9989398, 9989399, 9989400.