Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, December 14, 1987

Name: Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, December 14, 1987
Start: 1987-12-14T04:00
End: 1987-12-14T22:00
Location: Arkansas

December 14, 1987 · NWS LIT · 11 events in 10 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 6
Injuries: 100
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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

5 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: December 14, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 36.380, -90.180

Hail, Sevier

When: December 14, 1:22 PM CST
Where: Sevier County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.030, -94.430

Hail, Hot Spring

When: December 14, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Hot Spring County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -93.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Hot Spring

When: December 14, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Hot Spring County
Coordinates: 34.250, -92.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: December 14, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Columbia County
Coordinates: 33.070, -93.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 14, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 33.820, -92.420

Hail, Arkansas

When: December 14, 8:12 PM CST
Where: Arkansas County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.300, -91.330

Hail, Poinsett

When: December 14, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Poinsett County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.480, -90.370

Hail, Garland

When: December 14, 8:42 PM CST
Where: Garland County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -93.230

Tornado, Crittenden

When: December 14, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Crittenden County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 100 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 35.100, -90.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Mississippi

When: December 14, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Mississippi County
Coordinates: 35.920, -89.920

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1987 Every state in 1987 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1987 Warnings in Arkansas, December 1987

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: 9989645, 9989646, 9989647, 9989648, 9989649, 9989650, 9989651, 9989652, 9989653, 9989654, 9989655.