Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Hot Spring County, Arkansas

41 tornadoes have crossed Hot Spring County since 1950, 19th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 70. 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
41
Deaths
0
Injuries
70
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, March 1, 1997

The strongest

  1. F4, Hot Spring County, ArkansasMarch 1, 1997F4, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  2. F3, Hot Spring County, ArkansasDecember 23, 1982F3, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  3. F3, Hot Spring County, ArkansasMay 13, 1957F3, 14.7 mi (24 km)
  4. F3, Hot Spring and Grant counties, ArkansasJanuary 21, 1999F3, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  5. F3, Hot Spring County, ArkansasApril 25, 1982F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Hot Spring, Clark and Dallas counties, ArkansasDecember 2, 1982F2, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  7. F2, Clark, Hot Spring and Garland counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  8. F2, Clark and Hot Spring counties, ArkansasMarch 5, 1999F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  9. F2, Clark and Hot Spring counties, ArkansasMarch 26, 1950F2, 17.4 mi (28 km)
  10. EF2, Pike, Montgomery, Clark and Hot Spring counties, ArkansasMay 30, 2013EF2, 9.0 mi (14 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hot Spring County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20221EF1
20171EF0
201315EF2
20112EF1
20083EF1
20051F2
20032F1
200222F1
19996F3
1997111F4
1996115F2
198814F2
19831F1
1982430F3
19791F0
19781F0
19761F1
19751F1
19671F1
19651F2
19611F1
19581F2
19572F3
195013F2

Every tornado that crossed Hot Spring County

41 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 18, 20253:50 PM CDTEF1Hot Spring0.8100
May 20, 20252:08 AM CDTEF1Hot Spring3.8100
March 14, 202510:17 PM CDTEF1Clark22.1150
November 4, 202210:27 PM CDTEF1Hot Spring0.4150
March 24, 201710:31 PM CDTEF0Hot Spring0.1100
May 30, 20133:16 PM CDTEF2Pike9.03005$145,000
May 20, 20115:48 PM CDTEF0Hot Spring3.1100$25,000
April 25, 20114:35 PM CDTEF1Pike11.6800$290,000
September 13, 20083:13 PM CDTEF1Saline8.6175$100,000
April 3, 200810:50 PM CDTEF1Hot Spring1.1250$200,000
April 3, 200810:28 PM CDTEF1Hot Spring4.280$15,000
November 27, 20055:20 PM CSTF2Hot Spring4.2100
May 16, 20037:10 PM CDTF1Dallas16.0100
May 7, 20032:03 AM CDTF1Hot Spring4.0300
December 18, 20023:50 PM CSTF0Hot Spring0.125
May 17, 20028:30 AM CDTF1Hot Spring1.01502
December 4, 19994:49 PM CSTF1Hot Spring4.30
March 5, 19998:34 PM CSTF1Hot Spring12.0100
March 5, 19997:43 PM CSTF2Clark23.0200
January 21, 19996:18 PM CSTF3Hot Spring11.0400
January 21, 19995:37 PM CSTF1Hot Spring4.0100
January 21, 19995:34 PM CSTF1Hot Spring2.0100
March 1, 19972:47 PM CSTF4Hot Spring24.052711
September 26, 19963:24 PM CDTF2Hot Spring9.06015$2.1 million
November 15, 19888:00 PM CSTF2Clark27.04004$500,000 to $5 million
May 14, 19835:10 PM CDTF1Clark13.0500$500 to $5,000
December 23, 19824:45 PM CSTF3Hot Spring20.040029$5 million to $50 million
December 2, 19824:20 PM CSTF1Hot Spring6.03001$50,000 to $500,000
December 2, 19821:28 PM CSTF2Hot Spring34.0220$50,000 to $500,000
April 25, 19827:35 PM CDTF3Hot Spring9.0880$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19796:44 PM CDTF0Hot Spring0.227$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19789:50 PM CSTF0Hot Spring0.127
March 29, 19762:00 PM CSTF1Hot Spring7.950$5,000 to $50,000
July 7, 19755:07 PM CDTF1Hot Spring0.320$5,000 to $50,000
May 1, 19678:20 AM GMT-5F1Hot Spring0.110
March 17, 196512:15 AM GMT-6F2Hot Spring1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19619:30 AM GMT-5F1Hot Spring0.3100
November 17, 19582:30 PM GMT-6F2Hot Spring8.610$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 195712:45 PM GMT-5F3Hot Spring14.7880$50,000 to $500,000
January 22, 19579:00 AM GMT-6F2Hot Spring3.4880$5,000 to $50,000
March 26, 19507:30 PM GMT-6F2Clark17.41503$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Hot Spring CountyThe forecast for Hot Spring CountyThe live radar over Hot Spring 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.