Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Polk County, Arkansas

38 tornadoes have crossed Polk County since 1950, 26th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 74. 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
4
Injuries
74
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 9, 2009

The deadliest in Polk County

  1. EF3, Polk County, ArkansasApril 9, 20093 killed, 30 injured
  2. F3, Polk County, ArkansasJanuary 13, 19501 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Polk County, ArkansasApril 9, 2009EF3, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  2. F3, Polk County, ArkansasJanuary 13, 1950F3, 0.6 mi (1 km)
  3. F2, McCurtain, Sevier and Polk counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 11, 1979F2, 42.0 mi (68 km)
  4. F2, Polk and Scott counties, ArkansasNovember 17, 1952F2, 39.2 mi (63 km)
  5. F2, Polk, Howard and Pike counties, ArkansasMarch 5, 1999F2, 27.2 mi (44 km)
  6. F2, Polk County, ArkansasMay 23, 1971F2, 26.7 mi (43 km)
  7. F2, Polk County, ArkansasNovember 13, 1993F2, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  8. F2, Polk County, ArkansasMarch 12, 1961F2, 13.2 mi (21 km)
  9. F2, Polk County, ArkansasMarch 5, 1999F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  10. F2, Polk and Montgomery counties, ArkansasMay 1, 2003F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Polk County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20221EF1
20141EF1
201345EF2
20113EF1
20092334EF3
20083EF1
20061F1
20051F0
20042F0
20031F2
19993F2
19984F1
1993111F2
19912F0
19821F0
19811F1
1979120F2
19771F2
197511F1
19711F2
19611F2
195212F2
1950111F3

Every tornado that crossed Polk County

38 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Arkansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 4, 20227:43 PM CDTEF1Polk1.8200
October 13, 20145:04 AM CDTEF1Polk3.7300$50,000
May 30, 20134:32 PM CDTEF1Polk2.4200$75,000
May 30, 20133:35 PM CDTEF2Polk to AR8.68005$295,000
May 30, 20133:35 PM CDTEF1Garland to OK8.7300$100,000
May 30, 20132:08 PM CDTEF1Polk0.8200$35,000
April 26, 20117:17 PM CDTEF1Polk0.850$20,000
April 25, 20112:55 PM CDTEF1Polk5.850$250,000
April 14, 201111:07 PM CDTEF1Polk0.575$350,000
April 9, 20098:02 PM CDTEF3Polk14.81,075330$130 million
April 9, 20097:26 PM CDTEF2Polk to AR10.78004$350,000
October 6, 20082:46 PM CDTEF1Polk3.4250$75,000
April 9, 20089:42 PM CDTEF1Polk2.1150
March 17, 20089:31 PM CDTEF0Polk0.325$10,000
September 21, 20068:14 PM CDTF1Polk2.240
November 12, 200510:27 PM CSTF0Polk3.530
April 9, 20048:36 PM CDTF0Montgomery2.425
April 9, 20047:40 PM CDTF0Polk0.225
May 1, 20038:24 PM CDTF2Polk11.0200
December 4, 19992:50 PM CSTF0Polk0.540
March 5, 19996:18 PM CSTF2Polk27.2183$60,000
March 5, 19995:42 PM CSTF2Polk12.0200
October 5, 19985:17 PM CDTF0Polk0.150
September 8, 19983:55 PM CDTF1Polk3.0100
June 4, 199810:15 PM CDTF1Polk15.5250$100,000
June 4, 199810:15 PM CDTF1Polk21.0250
November 13, 19934:50 PM CSTF2Polk20.010011$5 million to $50 million
March 22, 19918:58 AM CSTF0Polk0.240$50 to $500
March 21, 19919:30 PM CSTF0Polk0.150$50 to $500
May 14, 198210:15 PM CDTF0Polk0.217under $50
April 3, 19818:30 PM CSTF1Polk5.1100$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 197911:15 AM CSTF2McCurtain to AR42.044020$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19779:30 PM CSTF2Polk0.530$5,000 to $50,000
December 5, 197510:55 PM CSTF1Polk0.5201$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 19718:30 PM CDTF2Polk26.7600$50,000 to $500,000
March 12, 19614:45 PM GMT-6F2Polk13.2200$5,000 to $50,000
November 17, 19524:30 PM GMT-6F2Polk39.21002$5,000 to $50,000
January 13, 19505:25 AM GMT-6F3Polk0.61711$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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