Arkansas has a long and well-documented history of severe storms, with 2,475 confirmed tornadoes, 12,156 hailstorm events and 16,054 damaging-wind events recorded by the National Weather Service since 1950. The state ranks 12th nationally for tornado frequency, and averages 33 tornadoes per year over the 75-year record. Arkansas lies within Tornado Alley, the historic core of the country’s most active severe-weather climate. The interactive map below plots every significant severe-weather event in Arkansas from the official NOAA Storm Events Database (1950 through September 2025).
Use the map to find your county, click any marker for the date, magnitude, and casualty details of that event, and switch between tornadoes, hail and wind using the chips. For the national view across all 50 states, see our NOAA Storm Reports interactive map. For tornado tracks specifically, see the US Tornado Tracks map; for hail size and frequency, the US Hailstorms map.
Arkansas Severe Weather by the Numbers (1950–2025)
- 2,475 tornadoes recorded between 1950 and 2025
- 833 violent tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger
- 412 direct tornado deaths and 5,551 direct injuries
- 12,156 hailstorm events recorded by the NWS
- 16,054 damaging-wind events on record
- 33 tornadoes per year on average across the 75-year record
- April is the peak severe-weather month, accounting for roughly 22.7% of Arkansas tornadoes
- 623 total direct deaths from all severe-weather event types tracked by the NWS
When Arkansas Severe Weather Happens
Arkansas tornado activity is heavily concentrated in spring. March, April, May and June account for 59% of all Arkansas tornadoes, with April alone responsible for roughly 22.7%.
- April: 561 tornadoes (22.7%) — peak month
- May: 478 tornadoes (19.3%)
- March: 321 tornadoes (13%)
- November: 209 tornadoes (8.4%)
- January: 197 tornadoes (8%)
- December: 178 tornadoes (7.2%)
Top 10 Arkansas Counties by Tornado Frequency
Tornado activity in Arkansas is geographically broad, but a handful of counties have logged many times the state average. The combination of population density (more spotters and damage reports), county land area and local climatology drives the rankings below.
| County | Tornadoes since 1950 |
|---|---|
| Pulaski | 101 |
| Lonoke | 87 |
| White | 82 |
| Benton | 66 |
| Faulkner | 61 |
| Jackson | 60 |
| Mississippi | 58 |
| Saline | 55 |
| Craighead | 49 |
| Arkansas | 46 |
The Deadliest Tornadoes in Arkansas History
Arkansas has lost 412 lives to tornadoes since the National Weather Service began systematic tornado record-keeping in 1950. The single deadliest event killed 50 people in White County in 1952, rated F4 on the Fujita scale.
| Date | Location | Rating | Direct deaths | Direct injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 21, 1952 | White County | F4 | 50 | 325 |
| May 15, 1968 | Craighead County | F4 | 34 | 350 |
| March 21, 1952 | Woodruff County | F4 | 29 | 180 |
| April 19, 1968 | Sebastian County | F4 | 14 | 270 |
| April 27, 2014 | Faulkner County (near Palarm) | EF4 | 12 | 167 |
| March 1, 1997 | Saline County (near Benton) | F4 | 10 | 40 |
| March 21, 1952 | Lonoke County | F3 | 9 | 9 |
| March 21, 1952 | Howard County | F4 | 7 | 9 |
| May 15, 1968 | Independence County | F4 | 7 | 24 |
| March 28, 1975 | Bradley County | F4 | 7 | 51 |
Arkansas Tornado Strength Distribution
Most Arkansas tornadoes are weak: roughly 66% are rated F0/EF0 or F1/EF1. Violent tornadoes (F2+/EF2+) account for around 34.1% of rated tornadoes in the state.
- F0/EF0 (weak): 611 tornadoes — 25% of rated events
- F1/EF1: 997 tornadoes — 40.8% of rated events
- F2/EF2 (strong): 562 tornadoes — 23% of rated events
- F3/EF3: 227 tornadoes — 9.3% of rated events
- F4/EF4 (violent): 44 tornadoes — 1.8% of rated events
Record-Setting Severe Weather in Arkansas
Largest hailstone: 8.00 inches in diameter, observed in Izard County on June 19, 1970. The three largest hailstones on record in Arkansas measured 8.00″, 5.00″, 5.00″.
Highest measured wind gust: 90 knots (104 mph) recorded in Clay County near Corning Muni Arpt on April 9, 2009. Most damaging-wind events in Arkansas are estimated rather than measured because anemometers are sparse across the rural areas where supercells most often produce destructive thunderstorm winds.
How Arkansas Compares Nationally
Arkansas ranks 12th nationally for tornado frequency since 1950, placing it in the upper third of states by severe-weather activity.
- Tornadoes (top 5): Texas (9,908), Kansas (4,890), Oklahoma (4,856), Florida (3,779), Iowa (3,417).
- Arkansas tornado total: 2,475 — ranked 12th nationally.
- Arkansas hail total: 12,156 hail events on record since 1950.
- Arkansas wind total: 16,054 damaging-wind events on record since 1950.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tornadoes does Arkansas have on average per year?
Arkansas averages 33 tornadoes per year over the 1950–2025 period. Counts vary widely year to year, but the long-term mean over 75 years of NWS records is a reliable benchmark for typical activity.
What was the deadliest tornado in Arkansas history?
The March 21, 1952 tornado, rated F4 on the Fujita scale, killed 50 people and injured 325 in White County. It remains the single deadliest tornado in the Arkansas modern record.
Where in Arkansas are tornadoes most common?
The single county with the most tornadoes on record is Pulaski County with 101 events. The three most active counties overall are Pulaski, Lonoke, White.
How does Arkansas compare to its neighbors?
Arkansas shares a severe-weather climate with Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma. Severe storms regularly cross state lines, so the same supercells, hail cores and wind events often appear in Arkansas’s neighbors’ records on the same date.
How recent is the data on this map?
The map and statistics on this page are pulled from NOAA’s official Storm Events Database, which currently runs from January 1950 through September 2025. New records typically appear in the database within 30–90 days of the event date, once damage surveys and ratings are complete.
Compare Arkansas to Neighboring States
Severe weather doesn’t stop at state lines. The same supercell systems that produce Arkansas tornadoes regularly cross into neighboring states. Compare Arkansas’s storm history to its land neighbors:
- Missouri severe storm history — ranked 10th nationally, Dixie Alley state with frequent overnight tornadoes
- Tennessee severe storm history — ranked 21st nationally, Dixie Alley state with frequent overnight tornadoes
- Mississippi severe storm history — ranked 8th nationally, Dixie Alley state with frequent overnight tornadoes
- Louisiana severe storm history — ranked 11th nationally, Dixie Alley state with frequent overnight tornadoes
- Texas severe storm history — ranked 1st nationally, Gulf-coast and Tornado Alley overlap
- Oklahoma severe storm history — ranked 3rd nationally, core Tornado Alley state
Explore the national NOAA Storm Reports map · US Tornado Tracks map · US Hailstorms map
