Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Poinsett County, Arkansas

49 tornadoes have crossed Poinsett County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 12th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 449. 2 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
49
Deaths
12
Injuries
449
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, March 15, 1984

The deadliest in Poinsett County

  1. F4, Jackson and Poinsett counties, ArkansasMarch 15, 19845 killed, 12 injured
  2. F4, Woodruff, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMay 26, 19733 killed, 289 injured
  3. F3, Poinsett and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMarch 21, 19523 killed, 96 injured
  4. F3, Poinsett County, ArkansasMarch 21, 19521 killed, 5 injured

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. F3, Poinsett and Mississippi counties, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 51.8 mi (83 km)
  4. F3, Mississippi, Poinsett and Lauderdale counties, Arkansas and TennesseeSeptember 26, 1959F3, 35.2 mi (57 km)
  5. F3, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 28.5 mi (46 km)
  6. EF3, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasApril 2, 2025EF3, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  7. F3, Poinsett County, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  8. F3, Poinsett County, ArkansasMarch 1, 1997F3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Jackson, Poinsett and Craighead counties, ArkansasMarch 5, 1961F2, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  10. F2, Jackson and Poinsett counties, ArkansasFebruary 24, 2001F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Poinsett County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261Unrated
202568EF3
20214EF2
202022EF2
201913EF1
20141EF0
20101EF1
20091EF0
20081EF1
20031F1
20022F0
20011F2
19991F0
19981F0
19971F3
19961F0
19953F0
19931F0
19891F0
19842512F4
198324F1
19822F1
197323291F4
19721F1
197111F2
19701F2
19612F2
1959121F3
19551F1
195234107F3

Every tornado that crossed Poinsett County

49 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, 202612:48 AM CDTUnratedPoinsett0.550
April 5, 20252:24 AM CDTEF1Poinsett2.6150$125,000
April 2, 20256:40 PM CDTEF0Poinsett6.575$20,000
April 2, 20256:26 PM CDTEF3Poinsett24.21,5008$4.0 million
April 2, 20255:59 PM CDTEF1Poinsett7.5400$50,000
March 30, 20257:39 PM CDTEF0Poinsett4.8150$3,000
March 14, 202512:23 AM CDTEF0Poinsett2.850$5,000
December 10, 20219:11 PM CSTEF2Poinsett3.6250$6.3 million
December 10, 20218:51 PM CSTEF0Poinsett0.120$10,000
December 10, 20218:45 PM CSTEF0Poinsett0.525$25,000
December 10, 20216:40 PM CSTEF0Poinsett3.050$25,000
August 27, 20208:55 PM CDTEF0Poinsett0.960
April 8, 20208:05 PM CDTEF2Poinsett9.3752$250,000
October 21, 20195:50 AM CDTEF1Poinsett1.11253$350,000
October 2, 20149:28 PM CDTEF0Poinsett0.733
May 1, 20109:36 PM CDTEF1Poinsett6.2400$75,000
July 30, 20093:48 PM CDTEF0Poinsett4.5150$100,000
January 8, 20081:52 PM CSTEF1Poinsett0.125$50,000
May 16, 20036:40 PM CDTF1Poinsett5.0100$50,000
June 5, 20028:10 PM CDTF0Poinsett3.025$10,000
March 29, 20025:08 PM CSTF0Poinsett0.210
February 24, 20015:34 PM CSTF2Jackson11.0200$70,000
January 17, 19994:45 PM CSTF0Poinsett7.850$10,000
April 16, 199811:20 AM CDTF0Poinsett0.230$1,000
March 1, 19975:40 PM CSTF3Poinsett1.0200$10,000
January 18, 19967:40 AM CSTF0Poinsett2.050$50,000
July 8, 199511:39 PM CDTF0Poinsett0.510$500 to $5,000
April 19, 199510:05 PM CDTF0Poinsett0.510$500 to $5,000
April 19, 19958:20 PM CDTF0Poinsett0.110$500 to $5,000
March 30, 19932:10 PM CSTF0Poinsett0.160$50 to $500
November 15, 198911:30 AM CSTF0Poinsett0.250$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19844:25 PM CSTF0Poinsett0.110
March 15, 19847:17 PM CSTF4Jackson26.0440512$5 million to $50 million
November 23, 19834:40 AM CSTF1Poinsett3.01003$50,000 to $500,000
November 23, 19834:35 AM CSTF1Poinsett1.0801$50,000 to $500,000
December 24, 19826:43 PM CSTF1Poinsett0.330$50,000 to $500,000
December 24, 19825:15 PM CSTF1Poinsett0.530$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 197311:30 PM CDTF4Woodruff54.83003289$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19737:45 PM CDTF2Poinsett4.71002$5,000 to $50,000
April 7, 19724:00 PM CSTF1Poinsett0.150$500 to $5,000
December 15, 19711:20 AM CSTF2Poinsett3.43001$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19704:15 PM CSTF2Poinsett1.3100$50,000 to $500,000
March 12, 19619:00 PM GMT-6F1Poinsett15.1417$50,000 to $500,000
March 5, 19614:00 PM GMT-6F2Jackson30.010$5,000 to $50,000
September 26, 19597:20 PM GMT-5F3Mississippi to TN35.266721$50,000 to $500,000
June 10, 19555:15 PM GMT-5F1Poinsett0.5250$50 to $500
March 21, 19526:45 PM GMT-6F3Poinsett51.8880396$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19526:45 PM GMT-6F3Poinsett9.420015$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19525:40 PM GMT-6F3Jackson28.54406$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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