Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Phillips County, Arkansas

26 tornadoes have crossed Phillips County since 1950, 46th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 0 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
26
Deaths
0
Injuries
7
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 29, 1956

The strongest

  1. F3, Phillips County, ArkansasApril 29, 1956F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  2. EF2, Arkansas, Phillips and Coahoma counties, Arkansas and MississippiJuly 30, 2009EF2, 33.4 mi (54 km)
  3. F2, Phillips and Coahoma counties, Arkansas and MississippiNovember 19, 1964F2, 21.5 mi (35 km)
  4. F2, Phillips County, ArkansasFebruary 11, 1965F2, 14.4 mi (23 km)
  5. F2, Desha and Phillips counties, ArkansasFebruary 24, 2001F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Phillips County, ArkansasFebruary 27, 1954F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  7. F2, Phillips County, ArkansasDecember 3, 1978F2, 0.8 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Phillips County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231Unrated
20171EF0
20162EF0
20121EF1
20112EF0
20092EF2
20081EF0
200112F2
199613F1
19951F1
19821F1
19791F0
19782F2
197722F1
19761F1
19661F1
19651F2
19641F2
19562F3
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Phillips County

26 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 31, 20237:03 PM CDTUnratedPhillips2.8100
August 31, 20178:19 AM CDTEF0Phillips1.750$15,000
March 13, 20168:16 PM CDTEF0Phillips3.8125$35,000
March 13, 20167:54 PM CDTEF0Phillips2.9100$25,000
January 22, 20129:03 PM CSTEF1Monroe8.4250$325,000
April 26, 20116:29 PM CDTEF0Phillips to MS30.8200$75,000
April 26, 20116:10 PM CDTEF0Phillips to MS27.9200$92,000
July 30, 20093:23 PM CDTEF2Arkansas to MS33.4600$5.1 million
May 6, 20092:03 AM CDTEF1Phillips0.125$40,000
February 5, 20084:27 PM CSTEF0Phillips0.225
February 24, 20016:42 PM CSTF2Desha9.02002$50,000
January 18, 19967:30 AM CSTF1Phillips2.0253$30,000
November 11, 199512:38 AM CSTF1Phillips0.950$50,000 to $500,000
January 3, 19825:15 PM CSTF1Phillips0.517$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19798:03 PM CSTF0Phillips0.150
December 3, 19786:50 AM CSTF2Phillips0.8100$500,000 to $5 million
August 29, 19783:30 PM CDTF1Phillips0.150$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19775:15 PM CDTF1Phillips1.01002$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19771:15 PM CDTF0Phillips0.220
April 24, 19765:45 PM CSTF1Phillips1.030$5,000 to $50,000
November 10, 19661:30 AM GMT-6F1Arkansas10.320$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 19652:30 PM GMT-6F2Phillips14.450$50,000 to $500,000
November 19, 19647:00 AM GMT-6F2Phillips to MS21.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 19565:16 PM GMT-5F3Phillips3.350$50,000 to $500,000
February 16, 19567:30 AM GMT-6F1Phillips0.110
February 27, 19545:40 PM GMT-6F2Phillips3.0400$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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