Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Conway County, Arkansas

41 tornadoes have crossed Conway County since 1950, 20th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 99. 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
41
Deaths
12
Injuries
99
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 2, 2008

The deadliest in Conway County

  1. EF3, Conway, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasMay 2, 20085 killed, 24 injured
  2. F3, Conway and Faulkner counties, ArkansasMay 6, 19601 killed, 30 injured
  3. EF3, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasApril 30, 20101 killed, 15 injured
  4. F3, Conway, Faulkner, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 19881 killed, 10 injured
  5. F3, Conway County, ArkansasNovember 27, 20051 killed, 8 injured
  6. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 19561 killed, 5 injured
  7. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 20081 killed, 2 injured
  8. F2, Conway County, ArkansasMay 28, 19821 killed

The strongest

  1. EF3, Conway, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasMay 2, 2008EF3, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  2. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 1956F3, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  3. F3, Conway, Faulkner, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  4. F3, Conway and Faulkner counties, ArkansasMay 6, 1960F3, 26.7 mi (43 km)
  5. EF3, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasApril 30, 2010EF3, 20.3 mi (33 km)
  6. F3, Conway County, ArkansasNovember 27, 2005F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  7. F3, Conway County, ArkansasMay 23, 1971F3, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  8. F3, Conway County, ArkansasNovember 27, 2005F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 2008EF2, 20.5 mi (33 km)
  10. F2, Conway County, ArkansasNovember 27, 2005F2, 11.8 mi (19 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Conway County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20211EF0
20201EF1
20181EF0
20172EF1
20151EF1
20111EF1
20102115EF3
20091EF1
20082626EF3
2005618F3
20041F0
199711F2
19931F1
19901F0
19882110F3
198211F2
19811F0
19801F1
19791F2
19782F0
19771F0
19761F1
19751F1
19721F1
197114F3
19681F1
19602130F3
19581F1
1956215F3

Every tornado that crossed Conway County

41 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 18, 20217:23 PM CDTEF0Conway0.125$25,000
September 1, 20201:59 PM CDTEF1Conway3.2100$100,000
April 13, 20189:13 PM CDTEF0Conway0.2100
March 1, 20172:18 AM CSTEF0Conway1.150$40,000
March 1, 20172:16 AM CSTEF1Conway1.0250$30,000
April 19, 20155:35 PM CDTEF1Conway4.2300$50,000
May 1, 20117:13 PM CDTEF1Conway1.075$35,000
April 30, 20107:55 PM CDTEF2Conway11.8200$1.9 million
April 30, 20106:56 PM CDTEF3Conway20.3700115$4.1 million
June 12, 20092:10 PM CDTEF1Conway2.4500$200,000
May 2, 20088:15 AM CDTEF3Conway45.31,600524$47 million
January 8, 20088:26 AM CSTEF2Pope20.544012$5.3 million
November 27, 20056:27 PM CSTF2Conway6.1600
November 27, 20056:09 PM CSTF3Conway15.070018
November 27, 20056:00 PM CSTF3Conway2.0150
November 27, 20055:45 PM CSTF2Conway11.8250
November 27, 20055:37 PM CSTF2Conway3.9250
September 24, 20056:48 PM CDTF2Conway1.0100
April 24, 200412:00 PM CDTF0Conway1.225
March 1, 19973:38 PM CSTF2Conway8.08801
October 18, 199311:15 PM CDTF1Conway4.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19908:10 PM CDTF0Conway0.850
November 15, 19887:41 PM CSTF3Conway29.0400110$500,000 to $5 million
November 15, 19887:20 PM CSTF1Conway9.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 28, 19825:25 AM CDTF2Conway4.5671$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19815:38 PM CDTF0Conway0.127
April 7, 19807:05 PM CSTF1Conway0.350$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19797:10 AM CSTF2Conway5.4200$50,000 to $500,000
July 10, 19784:30 PM CDTF0Conway0.127$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19787:20 PM CDTF0Conway0.127$50 to $500
March 11, 19772:30 PM CSTF0Conway0.520
February 20, 197611:55 PM CSTF1Conway0.5100$500 to $5,000
April 18, 19756:15 PM CDTF1Conway1.0300$50 to $500
July 1, 19723:00 PM CDTF1Conway0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 197110:00 PM CDTF3Conway5.64004$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19681:40 PM GMT-5F1Conway0.110
May 19, 19602:00 AM GMT-5F1Conway8.7417$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19602:00 AM GMT-5F3Conway26.7300130$500,000 to $5 million
November 14, 19587:00 PM GMT-6F1Conway10.010$5,000 to $50,000
February 14, 195611:50 PM GMT-6F2Conway2.0500$5,000 to $50,000
February 14, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F3Conway33.030015$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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