Arkansas severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 75 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 16,540 severe thunderstorm wind events in Arkansas from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 390 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the April 15, 2011 thunderstorm wind: 4 deaths, 3 injuries and $2.2 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 7 records. Arkansas ranks 18th of 52 states and territories by count and 24th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Arkansas, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 16,5401955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 390average
- Deaths
- 39287 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $306Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2009634 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in Arkansas?
Arkansas averages about 390 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 18th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2009 (634). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Arkansas records 3181 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 24th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Arkansas have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Sebastian County leads Arkansas: 283 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 532.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Pulaski County has the most thunderstorm wind records (732 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Arkansas?
Arkansas's severe thunderstorm wind events by month. The busiest month is May (2,938 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 394 · Feb 524 · Mar 1,114 · Apr 2,370 · May 2,938 · Jun 2,659 · Jul 2,322 · Aug 1,726 · Sep 664 · Oct 778 · Nov 732 · Dec 319 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Arkansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindHawes, Garland County One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A cold front and strong area of low pressure aloft approached Arkansas on the 14th. The result was an outbreak of severe weather from the evening of the 14th through the pre-dawn hours of the 15th. Several tornadoes occurred. Additionally, storms developed into line segments which often bowed out, creating damaging ... | 52 kt wind | 4 | 3 | $2.2M |
| 2014-06-05 | Thunderstorm WindRavenden, Lawrence County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A stalled front was located across Southern Missouri during the late evening hours of June 4th into the early morning hours of June 5th. Showers and thunderstorms developed across Southwest Missouri during the morning hours. The MCS gained momentum as it moved into a warm and unstable atmosphere south of the stalled ... | 70 kt wind | 2 | 3 | – |
| 2014-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindDalark, Dallas County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe thunderstorms developed on the 3rd ahead of a cold front that was advancing into a warm and humid air mass. During the evening of the 3rd, several of the storms produced very large hail in north central Arkansas. From the late evening hours of the 3rd into the very early morning hours of the 4th, thunderstorms ... | 70 kt wind | 2 | 1 | $4.0M |
| 2023-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindCarlisle, Lonoke County One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level storm system via a powerful jet axis moved around the periphery of High Pressure and drove a cold front into a very unstable atmosphere which provided the lifting mechanism for air parcels which would become severe thunderstorms. The cold front arrived during the heating of the day and plenty of CAPE ... | 56 kt wind | 2 | 1 | – |
| 2017-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindEllis, Baxter County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Showers and thunderstorms brought damaging winds and flooding. The rain intensified and was widespread south and east of Little Rock (Pulaski County) during the wee hours of the 23rd. This is when Cindy crossed the region. The radar estimated 6 to 7 inches of liquid just north of Monticello (Drew County) and not far ... | 52 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-05 | Thunderstorm WindCypress Jct, Pulaski County One storm episode: 29 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe weather, including widespread flash flooding occurred over a five day period across the entire state. This multiday event featured tornadoes, damaging winds, and very large hail. But by far and large, flash flooding and river flooding were the biggest impacts taken away from this unsettled period of weather due ... | 56 kt wind | 1 | 6 | – |
| 2014-10-02 | Thunderstorm WindMalvern, Hot Spring County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A cold front rushed across Arkansas, preceded by a line of thunderstorms, during the late afternoon and evening of the 2nd. Very gusty winds occurred with the storms, resulting in numerous reports of wind damage. There were two weak tornadoes, as well. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $561K |
| 2000-05-19 | Thunderstorm WindTexarkana, Miller County Numerous trees down across the area. One tree fell across a mobile home killing a young girl inside. The 2 year old was killed instantly when a tree fell across the home crushing the infant in her bed. Both parents were injured but not seriously. | 58 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $69K |
| 2011-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindHawkins, St. Francis County A violent thunderstorm with downburst winds estimated at 70 to 80 mph lifted and rolled a double wide home on County Road 267 about 3 miles west of Caldwell. The mobile home traveled 70 feet where it finally landed on its roof. The mobile home was completely destroyed. A couple of vehicles were also heavily damaged. ... | 70 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2008-05-02 | Thunderstorm WindSiloam Spgs, Benton County Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees, power lines, and large tree limbs throughout town. One large tree fell on a mobile home and crushed it. A 15 year old girl was killed in the mobile home and a 10 year old boy was injured by the tree. The wind also destroyed a business and damaged ... | 61 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $274K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Arkansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindMonte Ne, Benton County One storm episode: 9 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 74 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $20M |
| 2009-06-12 | Thunderstorm WindOld Hickory, Conway County One storm episode: 12 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $10M |
| 2018-06-02 | Thunderstorm WindRosenbaum, St. Francis County One storm episode: 13 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 87 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $8.0M |
| 1995-09-30 | Thunderstorm WindLowell, Benton County | 0 | 1 | $6.8M | |
| 2023-03-02 | Thunderstorm WindKirby, Pike County One storm episode: 7 records in 5 places, 2023-03-02 to 2023-03-03; the totals are the episode's. | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.9M |
| 2009-05-06 | Thunderstorm WindRock Spgs, Drew County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 3 | $5.5M |
| 2008-06-01 | Thunderstorm WindParis, Logan County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.2M |
| 2012-08-01 | Thunderstorm WindBull Shoals, Marion County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in Arkansas?
Arkansas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Arkansas | United States | Arkansas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 131 | 3,482 | 3.8% |
| 1960s | 264 | 10,124 | 2.6% |
| 1970s | 524 | 18,714 | 2.8% |
| 1980s | 1,536 | 39,604 | 3.9% |
| 1990s | 3,758 | 85,554 | 4.4% |
| 2000s | 4,245 | 129,990 | 3.3% |
| 2010s | 3,947 | 161,286 | 2.4% |
| 2020-26 | 2,135 | 126,815 | 1.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Arkansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindTontitown, Washington County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindSummers, Washington County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindStark, Cleburne County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindLawson, Union County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindNorphlet, Union County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindWesson, Union County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindTaylor, Columbia County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindKizer, Lafayette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindStuttgart, Arkansas County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWarbritton, Jefferson County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindBrewster, Jefferson County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Hall, Jefferson County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Arkansas
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 33 declarations in Arkansas, 32 of them major disasters; the latest on May 8, 2025.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-08 | DR-4865 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 9 |
| 2025-04-05 | EM-3627 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 75 |
| 2024-05-30 | DR-4788 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 11 |
| 2023-11-14 | DR-4748 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 4 |
| 2023-04-02 | DR-4698 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 3 |
| 2017-06-15 | DR-4318 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 32 |
| 2016-05-06 | DR-4270 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2016-02-05 | DR-4254 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 38 |
| 2015-06-26 | DR-4226 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 29 |
| 2014-04-29 | DR-4174 | Severe Storms,Tornadoes, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2013-09-04 | DR-4143 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 6 |
| 2013-06-25 | DR-4124 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 11 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Sebastian County: the county's whole recordThe Arkansas county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in ArkansasTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Arkansas12,515 records
- Floods in Arkansas5,685 records
- Winter storms in Arkansas4,674 records