Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Craighead County, Arkansas

57 tornadoes have crossed Craighead County since 1950, 8th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 46 people and injured 717. 3 were 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
57
Deaths
46
Injuries
717
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, May 15, 1968

The deadliest in Craighead County

  1. F4, Jackson, Craighead and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMay 15, 196835 killed, 364 injured
  2. EF4, Craighead, Mississippi, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Lake and Obion counties, Arkansas and Missouri and TennesseeDecember 10, 20218 killed, 14 injured
  3. F4, Woodruff, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMay 26, 19733 killed, 289 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Craighead, Mississippi, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Lake and Obion counties, Arkansas and Missouri and TennesseeDecember 10, 2021EF4, 81.2 mi (131 km)
  2. F4, Woodruff, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMay 26, 1973F4, 54.8 mi (88 km)
  3. F4, Jackson, Craighead and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMay 15, 1968F4, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  4. F3, Craighead and Mississippi counties, ArkansasApril 3, 1984F3, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  5. F3, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 28.5 mi (46 km)
  6. EF3, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasApril 2, 2025EF3, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  7. F3, Craighead and Greene counties, ArkansasApril 3, 1957F3, 22.6 mi (36 km)
  8. EF3, Craighead County, ArkansasMarch 28, 2020EF3, 12.5 mi (20 km)
  9. F3, Craighead County, ArkansasMarch 1, 1997F3, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  10. F3, Craighead County, ArkansasApril 7, 1972F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Craighead County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2025512EF3
20223EF1
20214814EF4
2020522EF3
20181EF0
20171EF1
20131EF1
20114EF2
20101EF0
20072EF1
20031F2
20001F0
199971F2
199722F3
19951F0
19941F0
198412F3
198231F1
197833F2
19771F0
19761F2
197313289F4
19721F3
1968135364F4
19611F2
19572F3
195511F2
195216F3

Every tornado that crossed Craighead County

57 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20257:46 AM CDTEF1Craighead7.1150$25,000
April 2, 20256:28 PM CDTEF2Craighead14.4700$750,000
April 2, 20256:26 PM CDTEF3Poinsett24.21,5008$4.0 million
March 14, 202512:16 AM CDTEF2Craighead13.81504$2.0 million
March 14, 202512:03 AM CDTEF0Craighead1.450$10,000
April 13, 20222:36 PM CDTEF1Craighead5.4200$75,000
March 6, 20223:54 PM CSTEF0Craighead2.550
February 22, 20225:24 AM CSTEF0Craighead2.850
December 10, 20218:30 PM CSTEF1Craighead4.675$100,000
December 10, 20217:07 PM CSTEF4Craighead to MO, TN81.21,800814$14 million
December 10, 20217:03 PM CSTEF0Craighead1.350$25,000
December 10, 20216:57 PM CSTEF1Craighead6.1150$125,000
August 27, 20209:24 PM CDTEF1Craighead0.950$35,000
August 27, 20209:13 PM CDTEF1Craighead4.5120$50,000
August 27, 20208:31 PM CDTEF1Craighead3.670$15,000
April 8, 20207:47 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.930$8,000
March 28, 20204:58 PM CDTEF3Craighead12.560022$300 million
May 17, 20181:32 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.850
July 3, 20176:28 AM CDTEF1Craighead0.175$750,000
October 31, 20137:37 PM CDTEF1Craighead3.7300$500,000
April 27, 20113:17 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.675$30,000
April 27, 20113:08 PM CDTEF1Craighead1.6250$250,000
April 27, 20113:01 PM CDTEF2Craighead1.2200$10,000
April 27, 20112:55 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.350$25,000
May 1, 20109:58 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.025
April 3, 20076:57 PM CDTEF0Craighead0.025$3,000
April 3, 20076:54 PM CDTEF1Craighead0.150$250,000
May 4, 20037:39 PM CDTF2Mississippi15.0300$400,000
May 9, 20004:40 PM CDTF0Craighead4.010$10,000
January 21, 199910:00 PM CSTF0Craighead3.020$10,000
January 21, 19999:40 PM CSTF0Craighead5.520$10,000
January 21, 19999:20 PM CSTF0Craighead3.020
January 21, 19998:55 PM CSTF0Lawrence7.001$60,000
January 21, 19998:10 PM CSTF0Craighead5.010
January 17, 19994:45 PM CSTF2Craighead11.00$150,000
January 17, 19993:45 PM CSTF0Craighead16.00$10,000
May 27, 19971:55 AM CDTF0Craighead0.110
March 1, 19974:19 PM CSTF3Craighead5.02002$30,000
April 19, 199510:30 PM CDTF0Craighead0.520$500 to $5,000
July 2, 19945:27 PM CDTF0Craighead1.023$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19844:38 PM CSTF3Craighead49.02002$5 million to $50 million
December 24, 19828:10 PM CSTF1Craighead4.050$50,000 to $500,000
December 24, 19827:32 PM CSTF1Craighead1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
December 24, 19826:47 PM CSTF1Craighead0.31001$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19789:45 PM CDTF0Craighead0.127
August 16, 19788:30 PM CDTF0Craighead6.120$500 to $5,000
August 13, 19786:50 AM CDTF2Craighead4.5503$500,000 to $5 million
September 14, 19775:30 PM CDTF0Craighead0.127
March 29, 19765:00 PM CSTF2Lawrence20.1200$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 197311:30 PM CDTF4Woodruff54.83003289$5,000 to $50,000
April 7, 19724:10 PM CSTF3Craighead2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19689:45 PM GMT-5F4Jackson20.925035364$5,000 to $50,000
March 5, 19614:00 PM GMT-6F2Jackson30.010$5,000 to $50,000
April 25, 195711:59 PM GMT-6F3Craighead0.5313
April 3, 195712:05 PM GMT-6F3Craighead22.6100$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 19553:30 PM GMT-6F2Craighead to MO89.42501$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19525:40 PM GMT-6F3Jackson28.54406$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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