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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-02-17 20:00, as SPC files it | Lake | F2 | 29.5 mi | 3 |
| 1979-10-22 07:40, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F1 | 1.5 mi | 1 |
| 1976-03-20 18:15, as SPC files it | KilbourneCrossed AR, LA | F3 | 4.6 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Arkansas.
Every tornado record filed for Chicot County (45)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 49 | 74 | 52 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 49 | 33 | 12 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 4 | 19 | 58 | 13 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 9 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
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).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3636 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2025-04-05 | EM-3627 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-08-27 | EM-3541 | Hurricane | Hurricane Laura |
| 2020-04-03 | DR-4518 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3461 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-06-08 | DR-4441 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2019-05-30 | EM-3414 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2016-05-06 | DR-4270 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-05-02 | DR-1975 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding |
| 2009-06-16 | DR-1845 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2008-09-18 | DR-1793 | Hurricane | Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav |
| 2005-09-02 | EM-3215 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-06-06 | DR-1472 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1999-01-23 | DR-1266 | Severe Storm | Ar Severe Weather 1-21-99 |
| 1994-02-28 | DR-1011 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Ice Storm |
| 1991-05-30 | DR-907 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1988-11-23 | DR-817 | Tornado | Severe Storms & Tornadoes |
| 1973-04-27 | DR-375 | Flood | Severe 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.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Gustav | 2008-09-03 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricane Katrina | 2005-08-29 | 2 | 0 |
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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $951K | 17 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $131K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $576K | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $878K | once in about 329 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $241K | once in about 22 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $393K | 19 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $799K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $166K | 3.2 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in ArkansasEvery Arkansas tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in ArkansasThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Arkansas recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Chicot CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Chicot County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis