Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Union County, Arkansas

45 tornadoes have crossed Union County since 1950, 15th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 34. 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
45
Deaths
5
Injuries
34
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, January 12, 2005

The deadliest in Union County

  1. F3, Union County, ArkansasJanuary 12, 20052 killed, 13 injured
  2. F3, Webster, Claiborne, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasDecember 3, 19782 killed, 4 injured
  3. F2, Union County, ArkansasDecember 3, 19781 killed, 7 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Webster, Claiborne, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasDecember 3, 1978F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  2. EF3, Union County, ArkansasFebruary 24, 2007EF3, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  3. F3, Union County, ArkansasJanuary 12, 2005F3, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  4. F3, Union County, ArkansasMarch 28, 1972F3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  5. F2, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasDecember 18, 2002F2, 20.2 mi (33 km)
  6. F2, Union County, ArkansasApril 24, 2003F2, 16.7 mi (27 km)
  7. EF2, Union County, ArkansasJune 18, 2023EF2, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  8. F2, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasSeptember 12, 1961F2, 7.1 mi (11 km)
  9. F2, Union County, ArkansasDecember 3, 1978F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  10. F2, Union County, ArkansasFebruary 12, 1950F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20233EF2
20211Unrated
20182EF1
20172EF1
20112EF1
20093EF1
20083EF0
200725EF3
20051213F3
20041F1
20032F2
20022F2
20011F1
19991F1
19961F0
199211F1
19912F2
19901F0
19891F0
198121F1
19791F0
19782311F3
19751F1
19731F2
197223F3
19651F2
19612F2
19501F2

Every tornado that crossed Union County

45 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 18, 20238:15 PM CDTEF2Union10.31,320$2.0 million
January 18, 202312:40 PM CSTEF1Union9.3840$130,000
January 2, 202311:47 AM CSTEF1Union0.2350$25,000
June 7, 20214:26 PM CDTUnratedUnion1.625
April 14, 20182:03 AM CDTEF1Union5.11,200$70,000
April 14, 20181:51 AM CDTEF1Union7.1800$125,000
January 21, 20177:38 PM CSTEF0Union0.650$25,000
January 21, 20177:04 PM CSTEF1Union2.975$10,000
April 26, 20119:45 PM CDTEF1Claiborne Parish to AR26.5100$20,000
April 4, 201110:12 AM CDTEF1Union1.3100$150,000
October 29, 20093:13 PM CDTEF1Union1.575$50,000
October 29, 20093:07 PM CDTEF1Union5.575$10,000
October 29, 20091:55 PM CDTEF0Union3.450
September 13, 20083:18 PM CDTEF0Union0.540$20,000
September 13, 20082:47 PM CDTEF0Union0.330
February 5, 20087:30 PM CSTEF0Union7.0100$200,000
February 24, 20073:20 PM CSTEF1Union5.0150
February 24, 20071:35 PM CSTEF3Union26.02505
January 12, 200511:25 PM CSTF3Union24.0900213$3.0 million
April 29, 200412:52 PM CDTF1Union9.0150$200,000
April 24, 20038:20 PM CDTF1Union20.0100$30,000
April 24, 20038:10 PM CDTF2Union16.7125
December 18, 20025:10 PM CSTF0Union1.125
December 18, 20023:55 PM CSTF2Union Parish to AR20.2110$1.0 million
November 26, 20015:00 PM CSTF1Union3.930
January 22, 19991:50 AM CSTF1Union Parish to AR21.040$3,000
March 30, 19966:55 PM CSTF0Union0.525
March 9, 19924:40 PM CSTF1Union2.02001$5 million to $50 million
April 27, 199112:55 AM CDTF0Union0.550
April 13, 19915:15 PM CDTF2Union2.0150$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19907:49 PM CDTF0Union3.077
July 6, 19892:15 PM CDTF0Union0.250
May 18, 19814:49 PM CDTF0Union0.127$500 to $5,000
May 18, 19814:00 PM CDTF1Columbia19.04401$500 to $5,000
April 8, 19796:45 PM CSTF0Union0.3100
December 3, 19783:38 AM CSTF3Webster Parish to AR60.030024$50,000 to $500,000
December 3, 19783:25 AM CSTF2Union6.45017$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19756:58 PM CDTF1Union0.3150$5,000 to $50,000
April 24, 19737:15 AM CSTF2Union0.5100$500 to $5,000
March 28, 19725:55 PM CSTF3Union10.4880$500,000 to $5 million
March 28, 19725:30 PM CSTF2Union5.48803$500,000 to $5 million
September 21, 19654:00 PM GMT-5F2Union0.110$500 to $5,000
November 2, 19612:15 PM GMT-6F1Union0.110
September 12, 19614:00 PM GMT-5F2Union to AR7.1100$5,000 to $50,000
February 12, 19503:00 PM GMT-6F2Union5.7100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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