Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Sevier County, Arkansas

24 tornadoes have crossed Sevier County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 53rd of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.2 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 82. 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
24
Deaths
4
Injuries
82
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 2, 1982

The deadliest in Sevier County

  1. F4, Sevier, Howard and Hempstead counties, ArkansasApril 2, 19823 killed, 23 injured
  2. F3, Franklin, Titus, Red River, Bowie, Little River and Sevier counties, Texas and ArkansasMay 4, 19991 killed, 22 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Sevier, Howard and Hempstead counties, ArkansasApril 2, 1982F4, 45.0 mi (72 km)
  2. F3, Bowie, Little River, Sevier, Hempstead and Howard counties, Texas and ArkansasApril 30, 1954F3, 111.6 mi (180 km)
  3. F3, Franklin, Titus, Red River, Bowie, Little River and Sevier counties, Texas and ArkansasMay 4, 1999F3, 71.5 mi (115 km)
  4. EF3, Sevier, McCurtain, Howard and Pike counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 9, 2009EF3, 37.2 mi (60 km)
  5. F2, McCurtain, Sevier and Polk counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 11, 1979F2, 42.0 mi (68 km)
  6. EF2, McCurtain and Sevier counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 28, 2020EF2, 19.4 mi (31 km)
  7. F2, Sevier County, ArkansasAugust 29, 1954F2, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  8. F2, Sevier County, ArkansasNovember 20, 1973F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Sevier County, ArkansasFebruary 15, 1954F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Sevier County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20251EF1
20242EF1
20201EF2
20112EF0
200917EF3
20081EF1
20061F0
20002F1
19991122F3
19901F0
19821323F4
19802F0
1979120F2
197811F1
197326F2
195433F3

Every tornado that crossed Sevier County

24 tornadoes, newest first. 5 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Arkansas. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 11, 20261:12 AM CDTEF1Sevier0.585
April 30, 20252:23 PM CDTEF1Sevier4.3300$50,000
May 24, 20243:08 AM CDTEF1Sevier8.2300$500,000
May 5, 20246:45 PM CDTEF0Sevier0.520$500
April 28, 202010:20 PM CDTEF2McCurtain to AR19.4350$700,000
November 21, 20119:12 PM CSTEF0Sevier2.775$1,000
April 25, 20115:37 PM CDTEF0Sevier7.470
April 9, 20098:01 PM CDTEF3Sevier to AR37.28507$5.1 million
May 10, 20087:55 PM CDTEF1Sevier1.5100$250,000
March 9, 20067:33 AM CSTF0Sevier2.060
April 23, 20004:57 PM CDTF1Sevier9.750
April 23, 20004:54 PM CDTF1Sevier13.020$2,000
May 4, 19992:04 PM CDTF3Franklin to AR71.550122$125 million
May 20, 19902:30 AM CDTF0Sevier0.550
April 2, 19825:20 PM CSTF4Sevier45.0200323$500,000 to $5 million
April 11, 19806:00 PM CSTF0Sevier0.117
April 11, 19805:48 PM CSTF0Sevier0.127
April 11, 197911:15 AM CSTF2McCurtain to AR42.044020$50,000 to $500,000
March 23, 197810:45 PM CSTF1Sevier5.1771$50,000 to $500,000
November 20, 19736:00 AM CSTF2Sevier5.71006$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19739:45 AM CSTF1Sevier0.110under $50
August 29, 195411:30 PM GMT-5F2Sevier8.4331$500 to $5,000
April 30, 195411:30 AM GMT-5F3Bowie to AR111.61,7602$50,000 to $500,000
February 15, 195410:10 PM GMT-6F2Sevier0.1167

Nearby

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