Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Van Buren County, Arkansas

34 tornadoes have crossed Van Buren County since 1950, 33rd of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 11 people and injured 89. 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
34
Deaths
11
Injuries
89
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, March 15, 1984

The deadliest in Van Buren County

  1. EF3, Conway, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasMay 2, 20085 killed, 24 injured
  2. F4, Van Buren, Cleburne and Independence counties, ArkansasMarch 15, 19842 killed, 13 injured
  3. EF3, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasApril 30, 20101 killed, 15 injured
  4. F3, Conway, Faulkner, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 19881 killed, 10 injured
  5. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 19561 killed, 5 injured
  6. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 20081 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Van Buren, Cleburne and Independence counties, ArkansasMarch 15, 1984F4, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  2. EF3, Conway, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasMay 2, 2008EF3, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  3. F3, Conway, Pope and Van Buren counties, ArkansasFebruary 14, 1956F3, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  4. F3, Conway, Faulkner, Van Buren and Cleburne counties, ArkansasNovember 15, 1988F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  5. F3, Van Buren and Stone counties, ArkansasDecember 2, 1982F3, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  6. EF3, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasApril 30, 2010EF3, 20.3 mi (33 km)
  7. F3, Van Buren County, ArkansasMarch 5, 1999F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  8. F2, Van Buren County, ArkansasNovember 2, 1955F2, 29.9 mi (48 km)
  9. EF2, Pope, Conway and Van Buren counties, ArkansasJanuary 8, 2008EF2, 20.5 mi (33 km)
  10. EF2, Van Buren County, ArkansasApril 10, 2013EF2, 17.3 mi (28 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Van Buren County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20151EF1
201315EF2
20121EF1
20103115EF3
20083626EF3
20054F2
20042F0
20031F0
19992F3
19981F0
19973F2
19941F1
198916F2
19881110F3
19841213F4
19821F3
19791F2
19761F1
196014F2
19591F0
1956215F3
195515F2

Every tornado that crossed Van Buren County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 23, 20158:21 AM CSTEF1Van Buren0.275$80,000
April 10, 20134:20 PM CDTEF2Van Buren17.38005$3.5 million
April 15, 20126:11 PM CDTEF1Van Buren2.3300$30,000
April 30, 20107:55 PM CDTEF2Conway11.8200$1.9 million
April 30, 20107:48 PM CDTEF1Van Buren8.9150$165,000
April 30, 20106:56 PM CDTEF3Conway20.3700115$4.1 million
May 2, 20088:28 AM CDTEF1Van Buren1.1100
May 2, 20088:15 AM CDTEF3Conway45.31,600524$47 million
January 8, 20088:26 AM CSTEF2Pope20.544012$5.3 million
November 27, 20057:19 PM CSTF2Van Buren0.8100
November 27, 20056:55 PM CSTF1Van Buren3.750
November 27, 20056:37 PM CSTF2Van Buren13.1400
November 27, 20055:23 PM CSTF1Van Buren2.850
April 24, 200412:17 PM CDTF0Van Buren2.825
April 23, 20041:30 AM CDTF0Van Buren4.125
May 4, 20036:52 PM CDTF0Van Buren3.125
March 5, 19997:02 PM CSTF3Van Buren10.0350
March 5, 19996:55 PM CSTF1Van Buren5.5100
April 15, 19989:45 PM CDTF0Van Buren2.0100
August 14, 19976:40 PM CDTF0Van Buren0.120
March 1, 19974:12 PM CSTF1Van Buren2.5100
March 1, 19973:48 PM CSTF2Van Buren2.0880
November 27, 19947:50 AM CSTF1Van Buren2.073$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19892:28 PM CDTF2Van Buren1.0506$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19887:41 PM CSTF3Conway29.0400110$500,000 to $5 million
March 15, 19845:40 PM CSTF4Van Buren41.0440213$5 million to $50 million
December 2, 19828:30 PM CSTF3Van Buren23.0400$500,000 to $5 million
June 28, 19797:45 PM CDTF2Van Buren11.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 26, 19766:50 PM CSTF1Van Buren9.477$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19602:30 AM GMT-5F2Van Buren8.23334$500 to $5,000
April 27, 195911:00 PM GMT-5F0Van Buren1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
February 15, 19562:30 AM GMT-6F2Cleburne0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 14, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F3Conway33.030015$50,000 to $500,000
November 2, 195511:30 AM GMT-6F2Van Buren29.9675$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Van Buren CountyThe forecast for Van Buren CountyThe live radar over Van Buren 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.