Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Garland County, Arkansas

40 tornadoes have crossed Garland County since 1950, 22nd of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 69. 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
40
Deaths
2
Injuries
69
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 25, 2011

The deadliest in Garland County

  1. EF3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasApril 25, 20111 killed, 20 injured
  2. F2, Saline and Garland counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 19591 killed, 7 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasMay 26, 1955F3, 28.8 mi (46 km)
  2. EF3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasApril 25, 2011EF3, 16.8 mi (27 km)
  3. F3, Garland County, ArkansasMarch 5, 1967F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  4. F2, Clark, Hot Spring and Garland counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  5. EF2, Garland County, ArkansasApril 25, 2011EF2, 14.4 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Garland County, ArkansasNovember 27, 2005F2, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  7. EF2, Garland County, ArkansasMay 7, 2024EF2, 12.2 mi (20 km)
  8. F2, Saline and Garland counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 1959F2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  9. EF2, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 2024EF2, 8.5 mi (14 km)
  10. EF2, Garland County, ArkansasApril 25, 2011EF2, 5.9 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Garland County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF2
202312EF1
20221Unrated
20171EF0
20132EF1
20115139EF3
20083EF1
200541F2
20031F0
19981F1
19961F1
198814F2
198241F2
19811F1
19771F0
19761F1
19733F2
196716F3
196116F2
19601F1
1959117F2
19572F0
195513F3

Every tornado that crossed Garland County

40 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 7, 202412:30 AM CDTEF2Garland12.2600
March 14, 20247:57 PM CDTEF2Garland8.51,000
January 2, 20232:38 PM CSTEF1Garland2.12002$5.0 million
May 21, 20227:00 PM CDTUnratedGarland0.150
March 24, 20179:58 PM CDTEF0Garland0.3150
May 30, 20133:49 PM CDTEF1Garland7.2300$500,000
May 30, 20133:35 PM CDTEF1Garland to OK8.7300$100,000
April 25, 20116:07 PM CDTEF3Garland16.8300120$23 million
April 25, 20115:02 PM CDTEF2Garland14.430010$5.0 million
April 25, 20114:56 PM CDTEF2Garland5.92009$3.0 million
April 25, 20114:24 PM CDTEF1Garland9.3300$600,000
April 15, 20111:13 AM CDTEF1Garland7.3250$240,000
September 13, 20083:25 PM CDTEF1Saline2.025$6,000
September 13, 20083:16 PM CDTEF1Garland2.430$20,000
April 3, 200810:50 PM CDTEF1Hot Spring1.1250$200,000
November 27, 20055:30 PM CSTF1Garland2.1100
November 27, 20055:26 PM CSTF2Garland13.81001
November 27, 20055:10 PM CSTF1Garland1.250
November 27, 20054:56 PM CSTF1Garland3.540
May 16, 20036:40 PM CDTF0Garland3.530
May 6, 199811:31 PM CDTF1Garland3.0300$500,000
March 5, 19967:50 PM CSTF1Garland8.050$200,000
November 15, 19888:00 PM CSTF2Clark27.04004$500,000 to $5 million
December 23, 19824:40 PM CSTF2Garland4.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 25, 19826:52 PM CDTF1Garland0.110under $50
April 2, 19822:00 PM CSTF0Garland0.110$500 to $5,000
January 22, 19823:22 PM CSTF2Garland2.5201$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19819:25 PM CDTF1Garland0.150$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19771:09 PM CSTF0Garland2.027$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19764:38 PM CDTF1Garland0.320$500 to $5,000
November 24, 19736:40 PM CSTF2Garland5.4133$5,000 to $50,000
September 1, 19735:10 PM CDTF0Garland0.550$500 to $5,000
April 19, 197310:55 AM CSTF1Garland0.110$500 to $5,000
March 5, 19676:55 PM GMT-6F3Garland4.3676$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 196110:00 PM GMT-5F2Garland2.03006$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19605:00 PM GMT-5F1Garland1.5200
March 14, 19598:30 PM GMT-6F2Saline11.941717$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 19577:06 AM GMT-5F0Garland0.110
May 25, 19577:00 AM GMT-5F0Garland0.110
May 26, 19555:45 PM GMT-5F3Garland28.81,0003$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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