Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Arkansas County, Arkansas

49 tornadoes have crossed Arkansas County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 11th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 33. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
49
Deaths
0
Injuries
33
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 10, 2008

The strongest

  1. EF3, Arkansas County, ArkansasMay 10, 2008EF3, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  2. F3, Arkansas County, ArkansasFebruary 9, 1965F3, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  3. F3, Arkansas County, ArkansasMay 14, 1983F3, 0.8 mi (1 km)
  4. F3, Arkansas County, ArkansasMay 2, 1954F3, 0.4 mi (1 km)
  5. EF2, Arkansas, Phillips and Coahoma counties, Arkansas and MississippiJuly 30, 2009EF2, 33.4 mi (54 km)
  6. F2, Lonoke and Arkansas counties, ArkansasMay 6, 1967F2, 25.1 mi (40 km)
  7. F2, Arkansas County, ArkansasAugust 11, 1964F2, 20.3 mi (33 km)
  8. F2, Arkansas County, ArkansasAugust 11, 1964F2, 20.3 mi (33 km)
  9. EF2, Arkansas and Jefferson counties, ArkansasMarch 27, 2021EF2, 18.6 mi (30 km)
  10. EF2, Jefferson and Arkansas counties, ArkansasJanuary 22, 2012EF2, 17.0 mi (27 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Arkansas County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261Unrated
20252EF2
20222EF2
20211EF2
20162EF0
20123EF2
20111EF0
20092EF2
200819EF3
20071EF1
20054F1
20041F0
20032F1
20021F0
19991F0
19951F0
199413F1
19931F0
19831F3
19783F1
19751F1
197012F2
196821F2
196711F2
19661F1
196514F3
19642F2
19631F0
196126F2
19601F1
19541F3
19522F1
195017F2

Every tornado that crossed Arkansas County

49 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20266:02 PM CDTUnratedArkansas2.450
April 2, 20256:21 PM CDTEF1Arkansas0.950
April 2, 20255:56 PM CDTEF2Arkansas8.3100
May 5, 202212:53 PM CDTEF2Arkansas1.5300$50,000
March 7, 20222:02 AM CSTEF1Arkansas7.0550
March 27, 20218:23 PM CDTEF2Arkansas18.6600
March 13, 20167:32 PM CDTEF0Arkansas1.250$8,000
March 13, 20167:00 PM CDTEF0Arkansas1.350
January 22, 20128:45 PM CSTEF1Arkansas9.475$250,000
January 22, 20128:36 PM CSTEF2Arkansas14.4400$1.0 million
January 22, 20128:15 PM CSTEF2Jefferson17.0300$825,000
September 25, 20116:30 PM CDTEF0Arkansas1.950$15,000
July 30, 20093:23 PM CDTEF2Arkansas to MS33.4600$5.1 million
May 6, 20091:19 AM CDTEF0Arkansas4.425$5,000
May 10, 20087:57 PM CDTEF3Arkansas14.11,3209$75 million
February 24, 20074:30 PM CSTEF1Desha8.5150$125,000
November 15, 20052:55 PM CSTF1Arkansas3.530
November 15, 20052:52 PM CSTF1Arkansas16.560
September 24, 20059:21 PM CDTF1Arkansas7.040
September 24, 20053:19 PM CDTF0Arkansas7.040
November 1, 20042:35 PM CSTF0Jefferson1.330
May 7, 20035:16 AM CDTF1Arkansas2.9350
April 24, 20038:54 PM CDTF0Arkansas3.050
December 18, 20028:45 PM CSTF0Arkansas3.050
May 30, 19991:54 PM CDTF0Arkansas0.10
July 25, 19956:18 PM CDTF0Arkansas0.220
November 27, 19941:30 PM CSTF1Arkansas16.0733$500,000 to $5 million
November 13, 199312:30 PM CSTF0Arkansas0.220$500 to $5,000
May 14, 19838:40 PM CDTF3Arkansas0.8250$50,000 to $500,000
December 3, 19784:30 AM CSTF1Arkansas25.3100$5,000 to $50,000
July 27, 19786:25 PM CDTF0Arkansas0.127
May 12, 19787:58 PM CDTF0Arkansas0.350$500 to $5,000
January 10, 19756:10 AM CSTF1Arkansas0.550$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 19704:20 PM CSTF2Jefferson14.63002$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19687:50 PM GMT-6F2Arkansas0.1101$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19687:20 PM GMT-6F0Arkansas0.3200$500 to $5,000
May 6, 196710:05 PM GMT-5F2Lonoke25.11001$50,000 to $500,000
November 10, 19661:30 AM GMT-6F1Arkansas10.320$50,000 to $500,000
February 9, 19652:00 PM GMT-6F3Arkansas10.53334$50,000 to $500,000
August 11, 19645:00 PM GMT-5F2Arkansas20.3250
August 11, 19644:45 PM GMT-5F2Arkansas20.3250$50,000 to $500,000
June 20, 19638:10 PM GMT-5F0Arkansas2.527
May 14, 19615:20 PM GMT-5F2Arkansas5.9417$5,000 to $50,000
March 26, 196111:30 PM GMT-6F2Arkansas1.53336$50,000 to $500,000
July 24, 19602:00 PM GMT-5F1Arkansas2.71,500$50,000 to $500,000
May 2, 195412:00 PM GMT-5F3Arkansas0.450
January 26, 19524:00 PM GMT-6F1Arkansas0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 26, 19523:30 PM GMT-6F1Arkansas0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 24, 19504:45 AM GMT-5F2Arkansas3.62007$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Arkansas CountyThe forecast for Arkansas CountyThe live radar over Arkansas CountyEvery county in Arkansas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.