Chicot County, Arkansas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 05017 · population 10,180 · 637 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 555 records for Chicot County, Arkansas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 349 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (221 records). The deadliest single record is the October 22, 1979 tornado: 1 death and 2 injuries. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1973, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
555on 349 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
249 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$88Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
45strongest F3
FEMA declarations
18latest 2026

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Chicot County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 221 since 1955. The rank column places the county among Arkansas's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Chicot County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 221 151 1955-2026 1 3 $7.6M 26 of 75
Hail 137 97 1978-2026 0 0 $2.7M 33 of 75
Floods 94 73 1996-2025 0 0 $41M 15 of 75
Tornadoes 45 33 1956-2025 1 46 $16M 13 of 75
Winter storms 25 25 1996-2026 0 0 $3.4M 73 of 75
Drought 13 13 2006-2026 0 0 $7.6M 67 of 75
High wind and dust storms 5 5 2006-2017 0 0 $419K 52 of 75
Hurricanes and tropical storms 5 5 2005-2021 0 0 $8.8M 16 of 75
Heat 4 4 2005-2010 0 0 – 73 of 75
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 3 2011-2017 0 0 – 20 of 75
Extreme cold 2 2 2010-2026 0 0 $406K 64 of 75
Lightning 1 1 2022-2022 0 0 $10K 62 of 75

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Chicot County had?

NOAA records 45 tornadoes in Chicot County from 1956 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 1 death and 46 injuries recorded in the county. That is 13th of 75 Arkansas counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 43 tornadoes whose track touched Chicot County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 45: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 4 people, 1 of them in Chicot County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Chicot County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1976-02-17 20:00, as SPC files itLakeF229.5 mi3
1979-10-22 07:40, as SPC files itUnnamedF11.5 mi1
1976-03-20 18:15, as SPC files itKilbourneCrossed AR, LAF34.6 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Arkansas.

Every tornado record filed for Chicot County (45)
Every tornado recorded in Chicot County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-05-20 Cosgrove, Chicot County EF1 11.55 mi x 700 yd 0 0 –
2023-01-02 Cosgrove, Chicot County EF2 14.19 mi x 1,300 yd 0 0 $194K
2023-01-02 Indian, Chicot County EF0 0.44 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $19K
2021-04-07 Indian, Chicot County EF1 1.88 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $218K
2021-04-07 Ross Van Ness, Chicot County EF0 2.63 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $33K
2020-01-11 Leland, Chicot County EF1 2.97 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $11K
2020-01-11 Lake Vlg, Chicot County EF1 8.26 mi x 550 yd 0 1 $1.6M
2020-01-11 Cosgrove, Chicot County EF1 2.93 mi x 900 yd 0 0 $228K
2020-01-11 Myrtle Grove, Chicot County EF1 0.17 mi x 15 yd 0 0 $125K
2018-04-14 Cosgrove, Chicot County EF1 5.45 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $118K
2016-03-30 Dermott, Chicot County EF1 3.61 mi x 150 yd 0 1 $135K
2016-03-30 Hudspeth, Chicot County EF1 1.44 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $184K
2016-03-13 Dermott, Chicot County EF1 6.36 mi x 300 yd 0 1 $3.1M
2013-12-21 Dewey, Chicot County EF1 0.85 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $127K
2013-12-21 Bellaire, Chicot County EF1 2.32 mi x 440 yd 0 2 $127K
2013-04-18 Grand Lake, Chicot County EF0 0.45 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2008-09-03 Yellow Bayou, Chicot County EF0 0.85 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-02 Ashton, Chicot County EF2 10.52 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $2.3M
2008-02-05 Dermott Municipal Airport, Chicot County EF0 1.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2005-09-24 Eudora, Chicot County F1 1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $91K
2005-09-24 Lake Vlg, Chicot County F1 2 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $227K
2005-09-24 Eudora, Chicot County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $453K
2004-11-23 Lake Vlg, Chicot County F0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K
2003-04-24 Eudora, Chicot County F0 2.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $481K
2003-04-24 Cosgrove, Chicot County F0 3 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $321K
2001-11-24 Lake Vlg, Chicot County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $833K
2001-05-28 Cosgrove, Chicot County F0 14 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2K
2001-02-24 Lake Vlg, Chicot County F0 0.5 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $2K
1999-01-22 Eudora, Chicot County F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1999-01-21 Empire, Chicot County F1 20 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $124K
1998-02-10 Lake Vlg, Chicot County F1 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $145K
1995-11-11 Eudora, Chicot County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $58K
1990-09-08 Chicot County F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1990-03-14 Chicot County F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-10-17 Chicot County F2 15.5 mi x 77 yd 0 0 $250K step
1979-12-23 Chicot County F1 0.2 mi x 37 yd 0 0 $25K step
1979-10-22 Chicot County F1 1.5 mi x 77 yd 1 2 $25K step
1979-04-08 Chicot County F1 5.9 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $250K step
1977-03-28 Chicot County F1 1.3 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $25K step
1976-03-20 Chicot County F3 2.3 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $250 step
1976-02-17 Chicot County F2 10 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250 step
1976-02-17 Chicot County F1 10.5 mi x 60 yd 0 0 –
1976-02-17 Chicot County F2 11.9 mi x 200 yd 0 36 $250K step
1972-04-15 Chicot County F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1956-04-03 Chicot County F2 1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Chicot County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 28, 2026 thunderstorm wind (1 injury).

A tree fell on a home in Dermott, resulting in minor injuries to one resident.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1330033)
The 12 most recent records kept for Chicot County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 DroughtChicot County · forecast zone Chicot 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtChicot County · forecast zone Chicot 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindHudspeth, Chicot County 70 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindMyrtle Grove, Chicot County 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindMc Millian Corner, Chicot County 67 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindLake Vlg, Chicot County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindLake Vlg, Chicot County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindMyrtle Grove, Chicot County 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindMc Millian Corner, Chicot County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindDermott, Chicot County 53 kt wind 0 1 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindDermott, Chicot County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 HailHudspeth, Chicot County 1.75 in hail 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Chicot County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1979-10-22 TornadoChicot County F1 1.5 mi x 77 yd 1 2 $25K step
2007-04-25 Thunderstorm WindLake Vlg, Chicot County One fatality occurred on Lake Chicot as 60 MPH winds capsized a boat. 52 kt wind 1 0 –
1976-02-17 TornadoChicot County F2 11.9 mi x 200 yd 0 36 $250K step
2013-12-21 TornadoBellaire, Chicot County A long track tornado touched down along Highway 65 in Chicot County, Arkansas, where numerous power poles were snapped and two eighteen wheelers flipped over causing 2 minor injuries. Damage occurred to several homes and farm buildings and heavy roof damage occurred to the Yellow Bend Port facility. This tornado was ... EF1 2.32 mi x 440 yd 0 2 $127K
1995-11-11 TornadoEudora, Chicot County Two mobile home trailers were totally destroyed in the small community of Empire. Two people were injured. One of the injuries was to a man that had been thrown 40 yard away from his mobile home and was critically injured. Several automobiles were damaged and several trees were blown down. F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $58K
1988-11-19 Thunderstorm WindChicot County 0 2 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindDermott, Chicot County A tree fell on a home in Dermott, resulting in minor injuries to one resident. 53 kt wind 0 1 –
2020-01-11 TornadoLake Vlg, Chicot County This tornado began on the southeast side of the Lake Village Municipal Airport on Airport Road where it rolled and almost destroyed a manufactured home. It is at Airport Road where one injury was reported due to a tree falling on a home. It then moved east-northeast to US Highway 278, breaking 8 to 10 wooden ... EF1 8.26 mi x 550 yd 0 1 $1.6M

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Chicot County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2008-09-03 Flash FloodVaucluse, Chicot County 0 0 $22M
2005-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Chicot County · forecast zone Chicot 0 0 $7.9M
2008-09-03 Flash FloodHarwood, Chicot County 0 0 $5.5M
2006-10-01 DroughtChicot County · forecast zone Chicot 0 0 $4.4M
2016-03-13 TornadoDermott, Chicot County EF1 6.36 mi x 300 yd 0 1 $3.1M
2011-05-05 FloodNorcross, Chicot County 0 0 $2.9M
2008-08-12 Flash FloodArkla, Chicot County 0 0 $2.5M
2008-05-02 TornadoAshton, Chicot County EF2 10.52 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $2.3M

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: February 17, 1976 (tornado, Chicot County); April 8, 1979 (tornado, Chicot County); October 17, 1980 (tornado, Chicot County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Chicot County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Chicot County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind1451323497452
Hail001339493312
Floods––––4195813
Tornadoes109161279
Winter storms––––25117
Drought––––0184

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Chicot County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 50 · Feb 40 · Mar 67 · Apr 103 · May 85 · Jun 57 · Jul 30 · Aug 24 · Sep 28 · Oct 25 · Nov 23 · Dec 23 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Chicot County

FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Chicot County: 12 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (4).

Declarations including Chicot County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3636Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2025-04-05EM-3627Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-08-27EM-3541HurricaneHurricane Laura
2020-04-03DR-4518BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3461BiologicalCovid-19
2019-06-08DR-4441FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2019-05-30EM-3414FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2016-05-06DR-4270Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-05-02DR-1975Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding
2009-06-16DR-1845Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2008-09-18DR-1793HurricaneSevere Storms and Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav
2005-09-02EM-3215HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-06-06DR-1472Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
1999-01-23DR-1266Severe StormAr Severe Weather 1-21-99
1994-02-28DR-1011SnowstormSevere Winter Ice Storm
1991-05-30DR-907FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1988-11-23DR-817TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1973-04-27DR-375FloodSevere Storms & Flooding

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Chicot County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 94 flood or flash flood records for Chicot County from 1996 to 2025, on 73 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Chicot County ranks 1079th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Chicot County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Gustav2008-09-0320
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2920

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.2 million on 153 claims filed in Chicot County; the most in one year was 45 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 4 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 4 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 1 · 1991: 8 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 2 · 1997: 7 · 1999: 2 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 2 · 2004: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2008: 18 · 2009: 7 · 2011: 45 · 2013: 1 · 2016: 23 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 9 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Chicot County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chicot County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.9 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Chicot County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively Moderate$951K17 modeled event-days a year
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$131Kabout once a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$576K2.6 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Low$878Konce in about 329 years (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively Low$241Konce in about 22 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$393K19 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Low$799Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$166K3.2 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Chicot County

  1. Bolivar County, MS 682
  2. Washington County, MS 625
  3. Morehouse Parish, LA 578
  4. Chicot County 555
  5. Ashley County 549
  6. Drew County 480
  7. West Carroll Parish, LA 407
  8. East Carroll Parish, LA 367
  9. Desha County 359
  10. Issaquena County, MS 228

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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