Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Jackson County, Arkansas

61 tornadoes have crossed Jackson County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 48 people and injured 764. 4 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
61
Deaths
48
Injuries
764
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F4, May 15, 1968

The deadliest in Jackson County

  1. F4, Jackson, Craighead and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMay 15, 196835 killed, 364 injured
  2. F4, Jackson and Poinsett counties, ArkansasMarch 15, 19845 killed, 12 injured
  3. F4, Woodruff, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMay 26, 19733 killed, 289 injured
  4. F2, Jackson County, ArkansasMarch 1, 19972 killed, 30 injured
  5. F2, Jackson County, ArkansasMarch 1, 19971 killed, 30 injured
  6. F3, Jackson County, ArkansasApril 2, 19501 killed, 8 injured
  7. F3, Woodruff and Jackson counties, ArkansasDecember 24, 19821 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Woodruff, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMay 26, 1973F4, 54.8 mi (88 km)
  2. F4, Jackson and Poinsett counties, ArkansasMarch 15, 1984F4, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  3. F4, Jackson, Craighead and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMay 15, 1968F4, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  4. EF4 Diaz tornado, ArkansasMarch 14, 2025EF4, 18.5 mi (30 km)
  5. F3, Independence, Jackson and Lawrence counties, ArkansasJanuary 21, 1999F3, 31.0 mi (50 km)
  6. F3, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 28.5 mi (46 km)
  7. F3, Woodruff and Jackson counties, ArkansasDecember 24, 1982F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  8. EF3, Jackson County, ArkansasApril 30, 2010EF3, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  9. F3, Jackson County, ArkansasApril 2, 1950F3, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  10. F2, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMarch 5, 1961F2, 30.0 mi (48 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jackson County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
202512EF4
202143EF2
20201EF1
20191EF0
20181EF0
20172EF1
20142EF1
20111EF1
20101EF3
20091EF0
20039F2
20011F2
1999104F3
19973360F2
19921F0
19892F1
19842520F4
198221F3
19791F0
19781F1
19771F0
19741F1
197333290F4
1968135364F4
19641F1
19611F2
19601F2
19581F0
195517F2
195216F3
1950118F3

Every tornado that crossed Jackson County

61 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 27, 202612:16 AM CDTEF0Jackson0.650
March 14, 202511:13 PM CDTEF4Diaz tornado18.51,7602
December 10, 20218:30 PM CSTEF1Jackson0.530$50,000
December 10, 20218:13 PM CSTEF2Woodruff10.55003$510,000
December 10, 20218:06 PM CSTEF1Jackson0.580$100,000
December 10, 20216:15 PM CSTUnratedJackson6.7150
March 28, 20204:18 PM CDTEF1Jackson5.3200$200,000
May 2, 20192:40 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.250
February 24, 20185:11 PM CSTEF0Jackson0.250$20,000
March 1, 20173:20 AM CSTEF1Jackson1.6125$100,000
March 1, 20173:13 AM CSTEF1Jackson4.2200$30,000
June 6, 20143:00 PM CDTEF1Jackson2.050$40,000
April 27, 20148:43 PM CDTEF1White5.3100$110,000
May 25, 20114:13 PM CDTEF1Jackson5.5500$40,000
April 30, 201010:40 PM CDTEF3Jackson7.71,000$1.0 million
April 30, 20094:13 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.624$1,000
May 16, 20035:58 PM CDTF1Jackson16.0100
May 16, 20035:29 PM CDTF2White5.0150
May 16, 20035:20 PM CDTF1White4.5100
May 16, 20033:08 PM CDTF1Jackson17.0100
May 16, 20032:47 PM CDTF1Jackson5.0100
May 10, 200310:35 PM CDTF1Jackson0.630
May 4, 20039:10 PM CDTF1Jackson1.830
April 24, 200311:41 PM CDTF0Jackson2.250
April 24, 20034:26 PM CDTF0Jackson6.750
February 24, 20015:34 PM CSTF2Jackson11.0200$70,000
June 23, 19996:15 PM CDTF1Jackson3.50
January 21, 19998:20 PM CSTF1Jackson9.01003
January 21, 19996:05 PM CSTF3Independence31.00$10,000
January 17, 19993:38 PM CSTF0Jackson0.20
January 17, 19993:28 PM CSTF0Jackson0.50
January 17, 19993:28 PM CSTF1Jackson5.7200
January 17, 19993:23 PM CSTF1Jackson9.22001
January 17, 19993:08 PM CSTF0Jackson0.250
January 17, 19993:06 PM CSTF1Jackson2.0100
January 17, 19992:51 PM CSTF2Jackson7.0250
March 1, 19975:11 PM CSTF1Jackson3.050
March 1, 19973:42 PM CSTF2Jackson23.0880130
March 1, 19973:25 PM CSTF2Jackson8.51,053230
June 30, 19921:39 PM CDTF0Jackson0.130$50 to $500
June 2, 19897:18 PM CDTF0Jackson3.013
April 3, 19898:30 PM CDTF1Jackson12.0100
May 6, 198410:15 PM CDTF2Jackson1.04338$500,000 to $5 million
March 15, 19847:17 PM CSTF4Jackson26.0440512$5 million to $50 million
December 24, 19826:25 PM CSTF2Woodruff16.0200$50,000 to $500,000
December 24, 19826:18 PM CSTF3Woodruff15.03001$500,000 to $5 million
July 9, 19797:30 PM CDTF0Jackson0.117
June 6, 19784:15 PM CDTF1Jackson0.177$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19777:50 PM CDTF0Jackson0.117
April 1, 19744:36 PM CDTF1Jackson0.3100$5,000 to $50,000
November 24, 19739:35 PM CSTF2Jackson1.8200$50,000 to $500,000
November 24, 19738:55 PM CSTF2Jackson1.02001$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 197311:30 PM CDTF4Woodruff54.83003289$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19689:45 PM GMT-5F4Jackson20.925035364$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 196411:20 PM GMT-6F1Jackson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 5, 19614:00 PM GMT-6F2Jackson30.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 196010:00 PM GMT-5F2Jackson1.0417$5,000 to $50,000
July 5, 19584:00 PM GMT-5F0Jackson0.110under $50
May 26, 19559:20 PM GMT-5F2Woodruff7.5107$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19525:40 PM GMT-6F3Jackson28.54406$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19503:30 PM GMT-6F3Jackson2.51018$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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