Greene County, Arkansas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 05055 · population 45,653 · 577 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 578 records for Greene County, Arkansas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 458 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (145 records). The deadliest single record is the April 3, 1968 tornado: 1 death and 6 injuries. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1968, 26 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
578on 458 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
369 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$110Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
39strongest F3
FEMA declarations
28latest 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 Greene County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 145 since 1957. 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.

Greene County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 145 123 1957-2026 0 0 $1.8M 32 of 75
Hail 113 73 1957-2026 0 0 $111K 46 of 75
Heat 112 109 2007-2026 0 0 – 6 of 75
Winter storms 69 68 1997-2026 0 0 $13M 14 of 75
Floods 47 42 2000-2025 1 0 $1.1M 29 of 75
Tornadoes 39 29 1954-2026 2 66 $92M 16 of 75
Drought 30 30 2007-2026 0 0 – 14 of 75
Extreme cold 12 12 2007-2026 0 0 – 2 of 75
High wind and dust storms 4 4 1997-2024 0 0 $85K 54 of 75
Lightning 3 3 1999-2017 0 0 $1.6M 33 of 75
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 2018-2018 0 0 – 26 of 75
Hurricanes and tropical storms 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 $258K 57 of 75
Wildfires 1 1 2017-2017 0 3 $60K 41 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 Greene County had?

NOAA records 39 tornadoes in Greene County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 2 deaths and 66 injuries recorded in the county. That is 16th 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 37 tornadoes whose track touched Greene County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 39: 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, 2 of them in Greene County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Greene County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2006-04-02 16:37, as SPC files itLafeCrossed AR, MOF377 mi2
1997-03-01 16:45, as SPC files itOak Grove Heights to MarmadukeF315 mi1
1968-04-03 19:44, as SPC files itParagouldF33.6 mi1
1965-11-26 19:30, as SPC files itParagouldF33.6 mi0
1957-04-03 12:05, as SPC files itBonoF322.6 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Arkansas.

Every tornado record filed for Greene County (39)
Every tornado recorded in Greene County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-15 Lafe, Greene County EF1 2.99 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K
2026-03-15 Beech Grove, Greene County EF0 2.19 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $100K
2026-03-15 Light, Greene County EF0 4.48 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $125K
2025-03-14 Brookings, Greene County EF2 12.86 mi x 150 yd 0 4 $2.0M
2024-05-26 Schug, Greene County EF1 1.26 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $94K
2024-05-26 Finch, Greene County EF2 3.56 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $941K
2021-05-04 Gainesville, Greene County EF0 2.24 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $27K
2020-07-01 Marmaduke, Greene County EF0 0.05 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2020-03-28 Bard, Greene County EF1 2.97 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $342K
2019-05-02 Hooker, Greene County EF0 0.21 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $35K
2018-08-20 Marmaduke, Greene County EF0 0.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $59K
2018-08-20 Finch, Greene County EF1 2.4 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $588K
2017-03-25 Marmaduke, Greene County EF0 0.78 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $301K
2011-06-13 Bard, Greene County EF1 3.33 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $157K
2006-04-02 Delaplaine, Greene County F3 37 mi x 880 yd 0 47 $37M
2004-10-18 Evening Star, Greene County F0 12 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $8K
2004-10-18 Paragould, Greene County F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $2K
2004-10-18 Lafe, Greene County F0 8 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $2K
2000-05-09 Evening Star, Greene County F0 1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $2K
1999-01-21 Schug, Greene County F0 3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $18K
1999-01-21 Marmaduke, Greene County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $9K
1999-01-21 Evening Star, Greene County F1 4 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $133K
1999-01-17 Lafe, Greene County F0 8 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $2K
1999-01-17 Bethel, Greene County F1 5.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $44K
1998-05-09 Light, Greene County F1 8 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $91K
1997-03-01 Fontaine, Greene County F3 15 mi x 200 yd 1 5 $919K
1995-07-23 Paragould, Greene County F0 1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $39K
1995-07-05 Walcott, Greene County F0 2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $19K
1984-04-29 Greene County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1984-03-19 Greene County F1 7 mi x 7 yd 0 0 $250K step
1976-03-29 Greene County F2 4.9 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1974-09-28 Greene County F1 10.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1968-04-03 Greene County F3 3.6 mi x 100 yd 1 6 $2.5M step
1967-04-13 Greene County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $2.5M step
1965-11-26 Greene County F3 3.6 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $250K step
1964-01-24 Greene County F2 5.1 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $250K step
1957-04-03 Greene County F3 22.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-04-03 Greene County F2 0 0 $250 step
1954-06-29 Greene County F2 0 0 –

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 Greene County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 15, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

Straight-line winds knocked down numerous large branches and removed shingles from a house on CR 224.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1326545)
The 12 most recent records kept for Greene County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 HeatGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-06-09 HeatGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-04-27 HailParagould, Greene County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindBeech Grove, Greene County 65 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindParagould, Greene County 70 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindCenter Hill, Greene County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindLafe, Greene County 70 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-03-15 TornadoLafe, Greene County EF1 2.99 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K

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 Greene County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1968-04-03 TornadoGreene County F3 3.6 mi x 100 yd 1 6 $2.5M step
1997-03-01 TornadoFontaine, Greene County The tornado moved into extreme northwest Craighead county from Jackson county. While in Craighead county, the tornado damaged a house injuring 2 persons inside the structure. The tornado then moved into the southeast corner of Lawrence county. There it damaged 13 homes and buildings including a grain bin which stored ... F3 15 mi x 200 yd 1 5 $919K
2011-05-01 FloodStonewall, Greene County Heavy rain during the end of April into the beginning of May caused the Cache River to rise above flood stage. Numerous roads were closed and/or damaged. Some homes sustained minor damage. One man drowned while attempting to check on his flooded home. He became disorientated and could not tell where the road and the ... 1 0 $131K
2006-04-02 TornadoDelaplaine, Greene County A tornado continued to track east from Randolph County into Greene County and eventually continued into Dunklin County, Missouri. The hardest hit area was in the town of Marmaduke. Forty-seven injuries occurred in Marmaduke with two people being airlifted to a local hospital. One hundred and thirty houses were ... F3 37 mi x 880 yd 0 47 $37M
2025-03-14 TornadoBrookings, Greene County A tornado crossed from northern Craighead County into Greene County and continued northeast where additional tree damage was noted. Some of the gaps in damage indicators over areas that were difficult to access were filled in using Sentinel satellite data. As the tornado approached Paragould, the tornado intensified ... EF2 12.86 mi x 150 yd 0 4 $2.0M
2017-11-28 WildfireGreene County · forecast zone Greene A wildfire occurred east of Paragould around East Fifth Avenue. Two homes were burned and 50-75 people were evacuated. A few people suffered minor burns. 0 3 $60K
1967-04-13 TornadoGreene County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $2.5M step
1964-01-24 TornadoGreene County F2 5.1 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $250K 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.

The costliest records in Greene County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2006-04-02 TornadoDelaplaine, Greene County F3 37 mi x 880 yd 0 47 $37M
2009-01-26 Ice StormGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 $9.1M
2002-12-03 Ice StormGreene County · forecast zone Greene 0 0 $3.5M
2025-03-14 TornadoBrookings, Greene County EF2 12.86 mi x 150 yd 0 4 $2.0M
2009-07-12 LightningParagould, Greene County 0 0 $1.4M
2024-05-26 TornadoFinch, Greene County EF2 3.56 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $941K
1997-03-01 TornadoFontaine, Greene County F3 15 mi x 200 yd 1 5 $919K
2018-08-20 TornadoFinch, Greene County EF1 2.4 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $588K

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 3, 1968 (tornado, Greene County, 1 killed); April 13, 1967 (tornado, Greene 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 Greene 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).

Greene County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind258825353032
Hail121711343027
Heat––––013675
Winter storms––––2203314
Floods––––021206
Tornadoes34229559

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 Greene County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 50 · Feb 40 · Mar 53 · Apr 69 · May 64 · Jun 73 · Jul 90 · Aug 63 · Sep 16 · Oct 18 · Nov 17 · Dec 25 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Greene County

FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Greene County: 22 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (14) and flood (4).

Declarations including Greene County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3636Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2025-05-21DR-4873FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2025-05-08DR-4865Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2025-04-05EM-3627Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2024-05-30DR-4788Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-08-27EM-3541HurricaneHurricane Laura
2020-04-03DR-4518BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3461BiologicalCovid-19
2016-02-05DR-4254Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-05-02DR-1975Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding
2010-02-04DR-1872Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2009-06-16DR-1845Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2009-02-06DR-1819Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2009-01-28EM-3301Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-10-22DR-1804Severe StormTropical Storm Ike
2008-03-26DR-1751Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2006-04-12DR-1636Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2005-09-02EM-3215HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-01-06DR-1450Severe Ice StormSevere Ice Storm
2002-01-24DR-1400Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2000-12-29DR-1354Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
1999-01-23DR-1266Severe StormAr Severe Weather 1-21-99
1997-04-14DR-1176FloodFlooding, Severe Storms
1997-03-02DR-1162Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
1988-11-23DR-817TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1973-04-27DR-375FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1969-02-15DR-254FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1968-05-29DR-239TornadoTornadoes, 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 Greene County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 47 flood or flash flood records for Greene County from 2000 to 2025, on 42 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Greene County ranks 861st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Greene County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Tropical Storm Ike2008-09-1410

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.0 million on 235 claims filed in Greene County; the most in one year was 78 in 1990. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 3 · 1979: 2 · 1982: 7 · 1983: 2 · 1985: 2 · 1988: 1 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 78 · 1991: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1997: 14 · 1998: 13 · 2000: 3 · 2001: 39 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 7 · 2004: 1 · 2006: 2 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 6 · 2009: 6 · 2010: 4 · 2011: 7 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 7 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 7; 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 Greene County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Greene County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $33.9 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 Greene County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormVery High$1.4M1.2 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$14Monce in about 91 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.6M19 modeled event-days a year
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.4M9.7 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.0Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$502K57 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$140K7.3 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$610K2 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 Greene County

  1. Craighead County 898
  2. Dunklin County, MO 678
  3. Greene County 578
  4. Clay County 572
  5. Lawrence County 550
  6. Randolph County 477

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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