Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Randolph County, Arkansas

25 tornadoes have crossed Randolph County since 1950, 51st of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 188. 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
25
Deaths
5
Injuries
188
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, March 14, 2025

The deadliest in Randolph County

  1. EF3, Independence, Sharp, Lawrence and Randolph counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 20253 killed
  2. F3, Randolph, Greene, Dunklin and Pemiscot counties, Arkansas and MissouriApril 2, 20062 killed, 177 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Larkin tornado, Arkansas and MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF4, 116.0 mi (187 km)
  2. EF3, Independence, Sharp, Lawrence and Randolph counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 2025EF3, 81.0 mi (130 km)
  3. F3, Randolph, Greene, Dunklin and Pemiscot counties, Arkansas and MissouriApril 2, 2006F3, 77.0 mi (124 km)
  4. EF3, Oregon, Sharp, Shannon, Izard, Randolph, Carter, Ripley, Reynolds, Stone and Butler counties, Missouri and ArkansasMarch 14, 2025EF3, 57.2 mi (92 km)
  5. EF2, Randolph and Clay counties, ArkansasApril 2, 2025EF2, 24.6 mi (40 km)
  6. EF2, Randolph County, ArkansasAugust 27, 2020EF2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  7. F2, Sharp, Fulton and Randolph counties, ArkansasSeptember 22, 2006F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  8. F2, Randolph County, ArkansasApril 5, 1999F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Randolph County, ArkansasJuly 2, 1994F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Randolph County, ArkansasApril 22, 1955F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Randolph County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2025435EF4
20244EF1
20231EF1
20221EF1
20201EF2
20191EF0
200814EF1
200622177F3
20044F1
19991F2
199411F2
19841F1
198211F1
19611F1
19551F2

Every tornado that crossed Randolph County

25 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Arkansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20255:56 PM CDTEF2Randolph24.6500$250,000
March 14, 202510:16 PM CDTEF3Independence81.07003$300,000
March 14, 20259:11 PM CDTEF4Larkin tornado116.01,4005$2.8 million
March 14, 20259:11 PM CDTEF3Oregon to AR57.2800$2.5 million
May 26, 20246:29 AM CDTEF1Randolph0.550
May 26, 20246:24 AM CDTEF1Randolph5.0300
May 26, 20246:15 AM CDTEF1Randolph2.2600
May 26, 20245:58 AM CDTEF1Sharp12.0600
June 18, 20234:57 PM CDTEF1Randolph5.0300
March 6, 20228:17 PM CSTEF1Randolph2.4150$200,000
August 27, 202010:07 PM CDTEF2Randolph14.0100$200,000
May 29, 20195:16 PM CDTEF0Randolph0.675$40,000
February 5, 20087:20 PM CSTEF1Randolph to MO31.92004$280,000
September 22, 20066:22 PM CDTF2Sharp14.0100$2,000
April 2, 20065:37 PM CDTF3Randolph to MO77.08802177$86 million
October 18, 20046:35 PM CDTF0Lawrence23.0100$150,000
October 18, 20045:16 PM CDTF0Randolph0.525$1,000
October 18, 20045:05 PM CDTF1Randolph13.075$70,000
October 18, 20044:50 PM CDTF0Randolph2.025$10,000
April 5, 19997:08 PM CDTF2Randolph2.0200$2.0 million
July 2, 19943:51 PM CDTF2Randolph2.0731$50,000 to $500,000
November 1, 19842:06 PM CSTF1Randolph5.0100$5,000 to $50,000
December 3, 19821:30 PM CSTF1Randolph0.31401$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19613:00 PM GMT-5F1Randolph0.1100$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19555:00 PM GMT-6F2Randolph1.0200$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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