Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Prairie County, Arkansas

37 tornadoes have crossed Prairie County since 1950, 27th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 13 people and injured 113. 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
37
Deaths
13
Injuries
113
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, January 21, 1999

The deadliest in Prairie County

  1. F2, Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 19885 killed, 60 injured
  2. F2, Prairie County, ArkansasMarch 21, 19525 killed, 15 injured
  3. F2, Prairie and Woodruff counties, ArkansasNovember 10, 19952 killed, 1 injured
  4. F0, Prairie County, ArkansasMarch 21, 19521 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Prairie County, ArkansasJanuary 21, 1999F3, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  2. F3, Prairie County, ArkansasMarch 26, 1950F3, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  3. F2, Lonoke, Prairie, Woodruff and Cross counties, ArkansasFebruary 20, 1951F2, 112.8 mi (181 km)
  4. F2, Lonoke, Pulaski, Prairie and Woodruff counties, ArkansasApril 17, 1978F2, 53.8 mi (87 km)
  5. F2, Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F2, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  6. F2, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasFebruary 13, 2000F2, 32.7 mi (53 km)
  7. F2, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasOctober 18, 2004F2, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  8. F2, Prairie County, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F2, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  9. F2, Prairie County, ArkansasFebruary 24, 2001F2, 12.7 mi (20 km)
  10. F2, Prairie and Monroe counties, ArkansasApril 23, 1985F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Prairie County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20231EF1
20221EF0
20194EF1
20181EF0
20141EF1
20111EF1
20101EF0
20083EF1
20041F2
20022F1
20011F2
200012F2
19992F3
1995221F2
19921F1
19891F1
19881560F2
19851F2
19821F2
197817F2
19771F0
19751F1
19541F1
19531F1
19522620F2
195113F2
1950120F3

Every tornado that crossed Prairie County

37 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 12, 20254:30 PM CDTUnratedPrairie0.420
March 31, 20233:45 PM CDTEF1Prairie1.1100
April 30, 20226:52 PM CDTEF0Prairie0.3100$50,000
May 18, 20195:55 PM CDTEF0Prairie0.350
May 2, 20192:20 PM CDTEF0Prairie4.5100
March 9, 201910:57 AM CSTEF1Lonoke5.2100$30,000
March 9, 201910:48 AM CSTEF1Lonoke10.8300$310,000
June 13, 20184:51 PM CDTEF0Prairie1.020$5,000
October 2, 20148:55 PM CDTEF1Prairie4.1200$20,000
April 25, 20118:15 PM CDTEF1Prairie6.2100$25,000
July 11, 20105:43 PM CDTEF0Prairie0.325$5,000
May 10, 20087:47 PM CDTEF1Lonoke2.7400
May 2, 20081:05 PM CDTEF1Prairie2.6100$1,000
May 2, 20081:02 PM CDTEF1Prairie1.7250
October 18, 200410:42 AM CDTF2Lonoke19.0600$12 million
December 18, 20027:10 PM CSTF1Prairie8.8100
December 18, 20025:32 PM CSTF0Prairie2.075
February 24, 20016:25 PM CSTF2Prairie12.7200
February 13, 20005:38 PM CSTF2Lonoke32.71002
January 21, 19996:21 PM CSTF3Prairie39.0417
January 21, 19996:13 PM CSTF2Prairie7.0250
November 10, 199511:40 PM CSTF1Prairie1.050
November 10, 199511:02 PM CSTF2Prairie8.510021
March 6, 19923:36 PM CSTF1White45.0200$50,000 to $500,000
March 30, 19895:22 PM CSTF1Prairie7.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19889:36 PM CSTF2Pulaski49.0250560$5 million to $50 million
April 23, 19853:11 PM CSTF2Prairie10.0300$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19824:00 PM CSTF2Prairie2.517$50,000 to $500,000
April 17, 19788:10 PM CSTF2Lonoke53.82507$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19774:30 PM CSTF0Prairie0.520
February 22, 19754:45 PM CSTF1Prairie0.530$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19541:30 PM GMT-5F1Prairie0.110
February 20, 195310:15 AM GMT-6F1Prairie0.133$500 to $5,000
March 21, 19525:20 PM GMT-6F2Prairie13.3417515$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19525:20 PM GMT-6F0Prairie0.141715$500 to $5,000
February 20, 19519:15 AM GMT-6F2Lonoke112.83333$5,000 to $50,000
March 26, 19509:15 PM GMT-6F3Prairie14.91,76020$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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