Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Arkansas

38 tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County since 1950, 25th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 24. 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
38
Deaths
1
Injuries
24
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 14, 1983

The deadliest in Jefferson County

  1. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasApril 21, 19551 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Jefferson County, ArkansasMay 14, 1983F3, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  2. F3, Jefferson County, ArkansasDecember 19, 1957F3, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  3. EF2, Arkansas and Jefferson counties, ArkansasMarch 27, 2021EF2, 18.6 mi (30 km)
  4. EF2, Jefferson and Arkansas counties, ArkansasJanuary 22, 2012EF2, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  5. F2, Jefferson and Arkansas counties, ArkansasNovember 19, 1970F2, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasFebruary 19, 1954F2, 1.2 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasApril 3, 1968F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  8. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasApril 21, 1955F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasAugust 16, 1969F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Jefferson County, ArkansasApril 27, 1968F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jefferson County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20242EF1
20232EF0
20211EF2
201919EF1
20161EF0
20131EF0
20122EF2
200924EF1
20052F0
20041F0
20031F1
20023F0
199934F1
19941F0
19881F0
19851F0
198312F3
19791F1
19783F1
197012F2
19691F2
19682F2
19571F3
1955112F2
195411F2

Every tornado that crossed Jefferson County

38 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 14, 202511:43 PM CDTEF1Jefferson0.950
July 8, 202410:42 PM CDTEF0Jefferson5.875
July 8, 202410:28 PM CDTEF1Jefferson3.275
May 10, 20231:05 PM CDTUnratedJefferson0.125
March 3, 20231:57 AM CSTEF0Jefferson0.750
March 27, 20218:23 PM CDTEF2Arkansas18.6600
May 8, 20196:18 PM CDTEF1Jefferson0.31009$200,000
March 13, 20166:32 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.650$8,000
December 20, 20136:33 PM CSTEF0Jefferson1.5150$100,000
January 22, 20128:15 PM CSTEF2Jefferson17.0300$825,000
January 22, 20128:05 PM CSTEF1Jefferson3.8400$175,000
October 29, 200910:52 PM CDTEF1Jefferson2.64004$400,000
July 21, 20098:20 PM CDTEF0Jefferson1.6200$10,000
November 15, 20052:20 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.720
September 24, 20053:30 PM CDTF0Jefferson1.540
November 1, 20042:35 PM CSTF0Jefferson1.330
May 7, 20032:46 PM CDTF1Dallas27.2150
December 18, 20028:36 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.320
December 18, 20028:33 PM CSTF0Jefferson1.225
December 18, 20027:45 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.220
April 3, 19995:25 PM CSTF1Jefferson6.50
January 21, 19995:30 PM CSTF1Jefferson16.00
January 21, 19995:11 PM CSTF1Jefferson14.02004$2.0 million
November 9, 199411:55 AM CSTF0Jefferson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 12, 19883:30 PM CDTF0Jefferson5.0100
April 23, 19851:58 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.110under $50
May 14, 19837:50 PM CDTF3Jefferson5.01002$500,000 to $5 million
May 3, 19798:20 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.377$500 to $5,000
December 3, 19783:30 AM CSTF1Jefferson3.877$50,000 to $500,000
January 7, 19786:00 PM CSTF0Jefferson3.027
January 7, 19785:10 PM CSTF1Grant35.050$500 to $5,000
November 19, 19704:20 PM CSTF2Jefferson14.63002$5,000 to $50,000
August 16, 19699:30 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19688:10 PM GMT-6F2Jefferson0.110$50 to $500
April 3, 19687:30 PM GMT-6F2Jefferson0.5200
December 19, 19573:40 PM GMT-6F3Jefferson3.8100$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19551:41 AM GMT-6F2Jefferson0.58312$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 19543:45 PM GMT-6F2Jefferson1.21671$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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