Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Madison County, Arkansas

27 tornadoes have crossed Madison County since 1950, 42nd of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.8 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 7. 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
27
Deaths
2
Injuries
7
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 21, 1996

The deadliest in Madison County

  1. F3, Madison County, ArkansasApril 21, 19962 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Madison County, ArkansasApril 21, 1996F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  2. F2, Madison County, ArkansasMay 5, 1960F2, 13.2 mi (21 km)
  3. F2, Madison County, ArkansasMarch 20, 1962F2, 7.8 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Madison County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF1
20242EF1
20231EF0
20221EF0
20211EF1
20171EF1
20161EF1
20152EF1
20141EF1
20132EF1
20112EF1
20091EF0
20082EF1
20011F0
1996126F3
19951F0
19821F1
19651F1
19621F2
196011F2
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Madison County

27 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 19, 20257:56 PM CDTEF1Madison2.4550$60,000
May 19, 20257:54 PM CDTEF1Madison14.3900$100,000
May 26, 20242:16 AM CDTEF1Madison8.9500$75,000
May 7, 20243:08 AM CDTEF1Washington2.8550$30,000
April 5, 20235:50 AM CDTEF0Madison2.8300
November 4, 20227:20 PM CDTEF0Madison1.3150$30,000
October 15, 20215:22 AM CDTEF1Washington7.8500$100,000
March 6, 201710:51 PM CSTEF1Washington6.4400$40,000
April 27, 20161:12 AM CDTEF1Madison6.2500$250,000
March 25, 20155:32 PM CDTEF0Madison1.0200$25,000
March 25, 20155:26 PM CDTEF1Madison3.9650$250,000
October 13, 20145:19 AM CDTEF1Madison3.0375$150,000
June 1, 20131:54 AM CDTEF1Madison1.0250$75,000
January 29, 20133:57 PM CSTEF1Madison2.0350$250,000
April 23, 20117:58 PM CDTEF1Madison28.3880$500,000
April 14, 201112:10 AM CDTEF1Madison0.5100$15,000
April 29, 20095:01 PM CDTEF0Madison3.0200$20,000
April 10, 20086:20 AM CDTEF1Madison10.7900$100,000
April 10, 20086:02 AM CDTEF1Madison0.8200$10,000
May 20, 20018:13 PM CDTF0Madison0.325
April 21, 199612:15 AM CDTF3Madison15.01,05026$1.0 million
May 13, 199510:57 PM CDTF0Madison0.130
May 28, 19826:05 PM CDTF1Madison1.040$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19656:00 PM GMT-6F1Madison0.510$500 to $5,000
March 20, 19627:15 PM GMT-6F2Madison7.8417$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 196011:45 PM GMT-5F2Madison13.21671$5,000 to $50,000
November 15, 195512:00 PM GMT-6F1Madison0.110$50 to $500

Nearby

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