Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Saline County, Arkansas

55 tornadoes have crossed Saline County since 1950, 9th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 23 people and injured 300. 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
55
Deaths
23
Injuries
300
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, March 1, 1997

The deadliest in Saline County

  1. F4, Saline County, ArkansasMarch 1, 199710 killed, 40 injured
  2. F2, Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 19885 killed, 60 injured
  3. F3, Saline and Pulaski counties, ArkansasJanuary 21, 19993 killed, 72 injured
  4. F3, Saline and Pulaski counties, ArkansasDecember 2, 19822 killed, 53 injured
  5. EF3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasApril 25, 20111 killed, 20 injured
  6. F2, Saline and Garland counties, ArkansasMarch 14, 19591 killed, 7 injured
  7. EF2, Grant, Saline, Pulaski and Lonoke counties, ArkansasMay 2, 20081 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Saline County, ArkansasMarch 1, 1997F4, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  2. F3, Saline and Pulaski counties, ArkansasJanuary 21, 1999F3, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  3. F3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasMay 26, 1955F3, 28.8 mi (46 km)
  4. F3, Saline and Pulaski counties, ArkansasDecember 2, 1982F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  5. F3, Saline County, ArkansasMarch 21, 1952F3, 17.7 mi (28 km)
  6. EF3, Garland and Saline counties, ArkansasApril 25, 2011EF3, 16.8 mi (27 km)
  7. F3, Saline County, ArkansasDecember 23, 1982F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  8. F2, Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke and Prairie counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F2, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  9. EF2, Grant, Saline, Pulaski and Lonoke counties, ArkansasMay 2, 2008EF2, 40.7 mi (66 km)
  10. F2, Pulaski, Saline and Lonoke counties, ArkansasApril 11, 1979F2, 40.3 mi (65 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saline County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20242EF2
20221EF2
20172EF2
20161EF1
20131EF1
20116120EF3
201028EF2
2008715EF2
20051F1
2004211F2
20033F2
20021F0
200128F2
200019F1
19991372F3
19981F1
199721040F4
19963F2
19951F2
19931F2
19881560F2
19826253F3
19811F2
19791F2
197314F1
1959117F2
195513F3
19521F3

Every tornado that crossed Saline County

55 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 20, 20255:21 PM CDTEF1Perry7.7350
March 14, 20247:57 PM CDTEF2Garland8.51,000
February 9, 20246:46 PM CSTEF1Saline2.5500
November 4, 202211:04 PM CDTEF2Saline1.6200
March 24, 201710:33 PM CDTEF1Saline1.9200$300,000
March 24, 201710:32 PM CDTEF2Saline1.1150$400,000
May 9, 201610:34 PM CDTEF1Saline2.7200$500,000
May 30, 20137:46 PM CDTEF1Saline1.7250$25,000
April 25, 20116:07 PM CDTEF3Garland16.8300120$23 million
April 25, 20114:24 PM CDTEF1Garland9.3300$600,000
April 15, 20111:47 AM CDTEF1Saline16.9350$775,000
April 15, 20111:38 AM CDTEF1Saline3.0250$40,000
April 15, 20111:13 AM CDTEF1Garland7.3250$240,000
February 24, 20113:53 PM CSTEF1Perry11.180$165,000
April 30, 20107:59 PM CDTEF2Grant18.05508$4.3 million
March 10, 20106:26 PM CSTEF1Saline6.1400$875,000
September 13, 20083:25 PM CDTEF1Saline2.025$6,000
September 13, 20083:13 PM CDTEF1Saline8.6175$100,000
May 2, 200811:15 AM CDTEF2Grant40.730013$9.0 million
April 10, 200810:56 AM CDTEF1Grant15.1175$30,000
April 3, 20089:34 PM CDTEF2Saline2.6500$10 million
April 3, 20089:23 PM CDTEF2Saline2.72501$5.0 million
April 3, 20089:02 PM CDTEF1Saline8.15001$5.0 million
November 27, 20055:32 PM CSTF1Saline6.1100
October 18, 20049:20 AM CDTF2Saline24.080011
October 18, 20048:59 AM CDTF1Saline2.0300
May 16, 20036:39 PM CDTF2Saline4.7150
May 16, 20034:31 PM CDTF0Perry1.325
May 16, 20034:23 PM CDTF0Perry2.330
December 18, 20024:08 PM CSTF0Saline0.525
December 7, 20015:25 PM CSTF0Saline0.325
February 24, 20013:31 PM CSTF2Pulaski14.32008
February 18, 200012:03 PM CSTF1Saline7.8709
January 21, 19996:24 PM CSTF3Saline39.0417372
April 26, 19981:30 AM CDTF1Saline16.5150
March 1, 19973:35 PM CSTF2Saline2.0350
March 1, 19973:25 PM CSTF4Saline14.01,4071040
September 26, 19963:45 PM CDTF2Saline2.0200$100,000
May 27, 19963:41 PM CDTF0Saline0.120
May 27, 19963:35 PM CDTF0Saline0.120
October 27, 19951:22 AM CDTF2Saline0.550$500,000 to $5 million
November 13, 19934:39 PM CSTF2Saline1.050$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19889:36 PM CSTF2Pulaski49.0250560$5 million to $50 million
December 24, 19828:05 PM CSTF2Saline7.0250$500,000 to $5 million
December 23, 198211:30 PM CSTF1Saline11.0400$50,000 to $500,000
December 23, 19828:50 PM CSTF1Saline9.0250$500 to $5,000
December 23, 19825:35 PM CSTF3Saline14.0500$50,000 to $500,000
December 2, 19822:50 PM CSTF3Saline18.0233253$5 million to $50 million
April 25, 19829:00 PM CDTF0Saline0.110under $50
October 17, 19817:05 PM CDTF2Saline0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 19793:00 PM CSTF2Pulaski40.3250$500,000 to $5 million
November 23, 19731:15 PM CSTF1Saline0.1104$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 19598:30 PM GMT-6F2Saline11.941717$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 19555:45 PM GMT-5F3Garland28.81,0003$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19524:00 PM GMT-6F3Saline17.7440$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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