Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Columbia County, Arkansas

35 tornadoes have crossed Columbia County since 1950, 29th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 20. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
35
Deaths
3
Injuries
20
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, December 19, 1957

The deadliest in Columbia County

  1. F4, Columbia and Ouachita counties, ArkansasDecember 19, 19572 killed, 9 injured
  2. F3, Columbia and Nevada counties, ArkansasMarch 4, 19641 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Columbia and Ouachita counties, ArkansasDecember 19, 1957F4, 17.7 mi (28 km)
  2. F3, Columbia and Nevada counties, ArkansasMarch 4, 1964F3, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  3. F3, Columbia County, ArkansasMay 4, 1999F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  4. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasMay 16, 1990F2, 26.5 mi (43 km)
  5. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasMay 13, 1981F2, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasMay 4, 1999F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  7. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasMay 23, 1957F2, 4.6 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasApril 11, 1994F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Columbia County, ArkansasApril 30, 1962F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Columbia County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20231EF1
20201EF1
20191EF1
20163EF1
20111EF1
200941EF1
20031F0
19993F3
19971F1
19941F2
19901F2
198212F1
198135F2
19772F1
197331F1
19652F1
196411F3
196212F2
1957229F4
19521F1

Every tornado that crossed Columbia County

35 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Arkansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 8, 20244:48 PM CDTEF1Columbia to AR6.5300$35,000
January 18, 202310:34 AM CSTEF1Columbia5.180$35,000
May 16, 20205:39 PM CDTEF1Columbia2.650$25,000
October 21, 20194:21 AM CDTEF1Lafayette5.3300$60,000
April 30, 20161:09 AM CDTEF1Columbia0.4130
April 29, 201612:41 AM CDTEF1Lafayette1.7900
April 11, 20161:26 PM CDTEF0Columbia1.225$25,000
April 4, 20119:28 AM CDTEF1Columbia0.975$75,000
October 29, 20098:10 PM CDTEF0Columbia3.175
October 29, 20096:33 PM CDTEF1Columbia7.6100$50,000
October 29, 20095:39 PM CDTEF1Columbia1.51501$200,000
October 29, 20095:34 PM CDTEF1Columbia1.4100$75,000
May 13, 20039:22 PM CDTF0Columbia2.225
May 4, 19996:43 PM CDTF3Columbia9.0100$600,000
May 4, 19996:15 PM CDTF2Columbia6.5100$150,000
January 21, 19993:10 PM CSTF1Lafayette11.10
April 4, 19975:20 PM CSTF1Columbia7.0200$200,000
April 11, 199410:30 PM CDTF2Columbia2.043$500,000 to $5 million
May 16, 19905:59 PM CDTF2Columbia26.577
April 2, 19827:00 PM CSTF1Columbia1.52002$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19814:00 PM CDTF1Columbia19.04401$500 to $5,000
May 16, 19816:40 PM CDTF1Columbia10.5440$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 198110:15 PM CDTF2Columbia14.64404$50,000 to $500,000
November 1, 19772:30 PM CSTF0Columbia0.227$50 to $500
May 1, 19773:55 PM CDTF1Columbia1.530$5,000 to $50,000
December 3, 19737:45 PM CSTF1Columbia0.2501$50,000 to $500,000
September 6, 19734:00 PM CDTF0Columbia0.850$500 to $5,000
April 24, 19739:50 AM CSTF1Columbia0.110under $50
February 9, 196512:00 PM GMT-6F1Columbia0.110$500 to $5,000
February 9, 196511:15 AM GMT-6F1Columbia0.110$50 to $500
March 4, 19645:20 AM GMT-6F3Columbia9.16001$50,000 to $500,000
April 30, 19627:22 PM GMT-5F2Columbia2.04172$5,000 to $50,000
December 19, 195712:44 PM GMT-6F4Columbia17.71029$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19575:36 PM GMT-5F2Columbia4.6880$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19526:30 PM GMT-6F1Columbia0.3150under $50

Nearby

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