Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Pope County, Arkansas

28 tornadoes have crossed Pope County since 1950, 40th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 173. 1 was 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
28
Deaths
17
Injuries
173
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, February 5, 2008

The deadliest in Pope County

  1. EF4 Atkins–Clinton tornado, ArkansasFebruary 5, 200813 killed, 139 injured
  2. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 19561 killed, 5 injured
  3. EF3, Johnson and Pope counties, ArkansasMay 24, 20111 killed, 4 injured
  4. F2, Pope County, ArkansasMay 5, 19611 killed, 4 injured
  5. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 20081 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Atkins–Clinton tornado, ArkansasFebruary 5, 2008EF4, 121.8 mi (196 km)
  2. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 1956F3, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  3. EF3, Johnson and Pope counties, ArkansasMay 24, 2011EF3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  4. F3, Pope and Yell counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 1953F3, 12.2 mi (20 km)
  5. F2, Yell and Pope counties, ArkansasFebruary 22, 1975F2, 26.2 mi (42 km)
  6. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 2008EF2, 20.5 mi (33 km)
  7. F2, Yell and Pope counties, ArkansasJanuary 12, 2006F2, 14.7 mi (24 km)
  8. F2, Pope County, ArkansasMay 7, 1978F2, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  9. F2, Pope County, ArkansasSeptember 4, 1970F2, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  10. F2, Pope County, ArkansasFebruary 6, 1999F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF1
20221EF1
20202EF1
20171EF1
20141EF1
2011114EF3
20091EF0
2008214141EF4
20061F2
20051F2
20041F1
199932F2
199711F1
19781F2
19761F1
197514F2
197015F2
1961114F2
19591F0
19571F1
1956115F3
19541F1
195327F3

Every tornado that crossed Pope County

28 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 25, 20234:19 PM CDTEF1Pope0.650
March 6, 20225:18 PM CSTEF1Pope15.6600$50,000
March 19, 20208:23 PM CDTEF1Pope2.8200$20,000
March 19, 20208:09 PM CDTEF1Pope0.8300
March 29, 20177:23 PM CDTEF1Pope2.4150
May 8, 20148:44 PM CDTEF1Pope1.750$250,000
May 24, 201112:25 AM CDTEF3Johnson29.01,43014$13 million
May 1, 20099:11 PM CDTEF0Pope0.350$10,000
February 5, 20084:49 PM CSTEF4Atkins–Clinton tornado121.81,32013139$119 million
January 8, 20088:26 AM CSTEF2Pope20.544012$5.3 million
January 12, 200610:29 PM CSTF2Yell14.775
November 27, 20055:42 PM CSTF2Pope2.3250
April 21, 20044:41 PM CDTF1Yell11.550
April 26, 19992:01 PM CDTF2Pope6.51502
March 5, 19996:15 PM CSTF1Pope10.0100
February 6, 19999:39 PM CSTF2Pope8.0250
March 1, 19973:30 PM CSTF1Pope7.52001
May 7, 19787:10 PM CDTF2Pope12.350$5,000 to $50,000
March 26, 19765:45 PM CSTF1Pope2.050$50,000 to $500,000
February 22, 19751:40 PM CSTF2Yell26.2804$5,000 to $50,000
September 4, 19701:45 AM CDTF2Pope12.31005$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 19619:30 PM GMT-5F2Pope1.05014$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 195910:45 AM GMT-5F0Pope0.110
April 23, 19574:00 AM GMT-6F1Pope0.3100$50 to $500
February 14, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F3Conway33.030015$50,000 to $500,000
April 30, 19541:00 PM GMT-5F1Pope0.550
May 10, 19531:10 PM GMT-5F2Pope2.3200
March 14, 19531:30 AM GMT-6F3Pope12.28807$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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