Arkansas, 1990

Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 16, 1990

May 16, 1990 · NWS SHV · 29 events in 14 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 5 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
1
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
29

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

12 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Miller

When
May 16, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Miller County
Coordinates
33.330, -94.000

Hail, Miller

When
May 16, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Miller County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.350, -94.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Crittenden

When
May 16, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Crittenden County
Coordinates
35.370, -90.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Crittenden

When
May 16, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Crittenden County
Coordinates
35.150, -90.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Miller

When
May 16, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Miller County
Coordinates
33.430, -94.050

Hail, Miller

When
May 16, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Miller County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.180, -93.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When
May 16, 4:37 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County
Coordinates
33.270, -93.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When
May 16, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Carroll County
Coordinates
36.300, -93.550

Tornado, Columbia

When
May 16, 4:59 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Rating
F2
Path length
6.5 mi
Path width
77 yd
Coordinates
33.170, -93.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When
May 16, 4:59 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County
Coordinates
33.200, -93.580

Tornado, Columbia

When
May 16, 5:09 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Rating
F2
Path length
20 mi
Path width
77 yd
Coordinates
33.180, -93.330

Tornado, Sebastian

When
May 16, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Sebastian County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
35.070, -94.230

Hail, Columbia

When
May 16, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.270, -93.230

Tornado, Clay

When
May 16, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Rating
F2
Path length
15 mi
Path width
77 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
36.450, -90.580

Hail, Union

When
May 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Union County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.080, -92.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When
May 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Union County
Coordinates
33.220, -92.870

Tornado, Union

When
May 16, 6:49 PM CST
Where
Union County
Rating
F0
Path length
3 mi
Path width
77 yd
Coordinates
33.070, -92.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 16, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Coordinates
36.430, -90.080

Hail, Pike

When
May 16, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Pike County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.150, -93.680

Hail, Howard

When
May 16, 7:23 PM CST
Where
Howard County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.930, -93.950

Hail, Sevier

When
May 16, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Sevier County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.900, -94.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When
May 16, 7:41 PM CST
Where
Howard County
Coordinates
34.120, -94.020

Hail, Little River

When
May 16, 8:23 PM CST
Where
Little River County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.620, -94.080

Hail, Nevada

When
May 16, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Nevada County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.650, -93.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
May 16, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Coordinates
35.600, -91.270

Hail, Columbia

When
May 16, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.230, -93.230

Hail, Miller

When
May 16, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Miller County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.270, -93.880

Hail, Lafayette

When
May 16, 9:17 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.370, -93.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Nevada

When
May 16, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Nevada County
Coordinates
33.470, -93.420

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Clay1990-05-16Direct

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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 1990Every state in 1990This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1990Warnings in Arkansas, May 1990

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: 9990351, 9990352, 9990353, 9990354, 9990355, 9990356, 9990357, 9990358, 9990359, 9990360, 9990361, 9990362, 9990363, 9990364, 9990365, 9990366, 9990367, 9990368, 9990369, 9990370, 9990371, 9990372, 9990373, 9990374, 9990375, 9990376, 9990377, 9990378, 9990379.