Arkansas, 1997

Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, April 20, 1997

April 20, 1997 · NWS TSA · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

6 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$200
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Benton

When
April 20, 7:13 PM CST
Where
Benton County, 2 mi N of Pea Ridge
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
36.480, -94.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When
April 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Benton County, 1 mi N of Pea Ridge
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
36.470, -94.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When
April 20, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Benton County, 5 mi E of Pea Ridge
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
36.450, -94.030

Hail, Carroll

When
April 20, 7:58 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, 5 mi N of Eureka Spgs
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.470, -93.730

Hail, Carroll

When
April 20, 8:09 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, Berryville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
36.370, -93.570

Hail, Madison

When
April 20, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Madison County, Clifty
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.230, -93.800

Hail, Carroll

When
April 20, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, 3 mi SE of Oak Grove
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
36.420, -93.400

Hail, Madison

When
April 20, 9:28 PM CST
Where
Madison County, Huntsville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
36.080, -93.730

Hail, Crawford

When
April 20, 9:30 PM CST
Where
Crawford County, 3 mi NW of Alma
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.520, -94.270

Severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Arkansas during the evening of April 20th. The storms produced 1 brief tornado, as well as damaging winds and large hail. The tornado touched down at 1913CST 2 miles north of Pea Ridge in a rural area, produced no structural damage, and was rated F0 in intensity. Strong thunderstorm winds downed several large trees on the north side of Pea Ridge Military Park 5 miles east of Pea Ridge, and several large tree limbs were blown down 1 mile north of Pea Ridge. Golfball size hail fell 5 miles north of Eureka Springs, and dime to quarter size hail fell at several other locations in northwest Arkansas.

What these are

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.
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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1997Warnings in Arkansas, April 1997

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: 5613794, 5613786, 5613787, 5613788, 5613789, 5613790, 5613791, 5613792, 5613793.