Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Chicot County, Arkansas

43 tornadoes have crossed Chicot County since 1950, 16th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 88. 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
43
Deaths
4
Injuries
88
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 20, 1976

The deadliest in Chicot County

  1. F2, Ashley and Chicot counties, ArkansasFebruary 17, 19763 killed, 46 injured
  2. F1, Chicot County, ArkansasOctober 22, 19791 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, West Carroll and Chicot parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasMarch 20, 1976F3, 4.6 mi (7 km)
  2. EF2, Ashley, Chicot and Desha counties, ArkansasJanuary 2, 2023EF2, 42.8 mi (69 km)
  3. EF2, Chicot, Desha and Bolivar counties, Arkansas and MississippiDecember 21, 2013EF2, 40.8 mi (66 km)
  4. F2, Ashley and Chicot counties, ArkansasFebruary 17, 1976F2, 29.5 mi (47 km)
  5. EF2, Ashley and Chicot counties, ArkansasJanuary 11, 2020EF2, 20.5 mi (33 km)
  6. EF2, Chicot and Washington counties, Arkansas and MississippiJanuary 11, 2020EF2, 17.7 mi (28 km)
  7. F2, Chicot County, ArkansasOctober 17, 1980F2, 15.5 mi (25 km)
  8. EF2, Chicot County, ArkansasMay 2, 2008EF2, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  9. EF2, Chicot and Ashley counties, ArkansasApril 14, 2018EF2, 8.9 mi (14 km)
  10. F2, Chicot County, ArkansasApril 3, 1956F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Chicot County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20232EF2
20212EF1
202031EF2
20181EF2
201632EF1
201322EF2
20083EF2
20053F1
20041F0
20032F0
20013F1
19992F1
19981F1
199522F1
19902F1
19801F2
1979312F1
197711F1
19763378F3
19721F2
19561F2

Every tornado that crossed Chicot County

43 tornadoes, newest first. 4 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Arkansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 20255:04 PM CDTEF1Chicot11.6700
January 2, 20239:02 PM CSTEF0West Carroll Parish to AR3.8250$120,000
January 2, 20236:54 PM CSTEF2Ashley42.81,300$705,000
April 7, 20218:24 PM CDTEF0Chicot2.650$30,000
April 7, 20218:16 PM CDTEF1West Carroll Parish to AR9.250$500,000
January 11, 20203:36 AM CSTEF1Chicot0.215$110,000
January 11, 20203:33 AM CSTEF2Chicot to MS17.78501$1.1 million
January 11, 20203:07 AM CSTEF2Ashley20.51,000$3.0 million
April 14, 20183:22 AM CDTEF2Chicot8.9700$600,000
March 30, 201611:15 PM CDTEF1Chicot3.61501$110,000
March 30, 201611:11 PM CDTEF1Chicot1.4100$150,000
March 13, 20169:15 PM CDTEF1Chicot9.03001$2.5 million
December 21, 20134:51 PM CSTEF2Chicot to MS40.84402$800,000
April 18, 20134:38 PM CDTEF0Chicot0.550
September 3, 20086:01 PM CDTEF0Chicot0.825
May 2, 20086:52 PM CDTEF2Chicot10.5400$1.5 million
February 5, 20084:04 PM CSTEF0Chicot1.150
September 24, 20056:29 PM CDTF1Chicot2.075$150,000
September 24, 20055:54 PM CDTF1Chicot1.075$60,000
September 24, 200512:51 PM CDTF1Chicot1.0100$300,000
November 23, 20044:10 PM CSTF0Chicot1.050$2,000
April 24, 200310:47 PM CDTF0Chicot2.530$300,000
April 24, 200310:27 PM CDTF0Chicot3.075$200,000
November 24, 20011:31 AM CSTF1Chicot1.0100$500,000
May 28, 20019:58 AM CDTF0Chicot14.0100$1,000
February 24, 20016:30 PM CSTF0Chicot0.5200$1,000
January 22, 19998:23 AM CSTF0Chicot1.550
January 21, 19997:15 PM CSTF1Morehouse Parish to AR27.0200$120,000
February 10, 19985:45 PM CSTF1Chicot2.050$80,000
November 11, 19951:45 AM CSTF1Chicot2.01002$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19952:10 PM CDTF0Chicot2.050
September 8, 19904:10 PM CDTF0Chicot0.230
March 14, 199010:00 PM CSTF1Chicot0.230$50,000 to $500,000
October 17, 19802:05 PM CDTF2Chicot15.577$50,000 to $500,000
December 23, 19798:20 PM CSTF1Chicot0.237$5,000 to $50,000
October 22, 19798:40 AM CDTF1Chicot1.57712$5,000 to $50,000
April 8, 19798:30 PM CSTF1Chicot5.9300$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19772:30 AM CSTF1Chicot1.31001$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 19766:15 PM CSTF3West Carroll Parish to AR4.65032$500,000 to $5 million
February 17, 19768:20 PM CSTF1Chicot10.560
February 17, 19768:00 PM CSTF2Ashley29.5200346$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 19727:30 PM CSTF2Chicot0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19561:00 PM GMT-6F2Chicot1.020$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Chicot CountyThe forecast for Chicot CountyThe live radar over Chicot 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.