NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Alexander, AR
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Alexander, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 155 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 155
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
57 deaths in all
What the records show for Alexander
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Alexander; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Alexander begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Alexander has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 155 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 13 miles. Of the 155, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 78 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Alexander has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 284 times since 1961, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Alexander has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Alexander's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Alexander
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Alexander: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Alexander
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s35(2 EF3+)
- 2000s35
- 1990s21(5 EF3+)
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 13 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 6 mi | 14 mi | 10 / 40 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 9 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 22 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 4 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 16.78 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F3 | 7 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 6 mi | 34.23 mi | 0 / 54 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 22 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1966 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 155, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Alexander
The Storm Prediction Center has 284 hail reports within 10 miles of Alexander since 1961, made on 153 separate days. Of these, 176 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on January 7, 1978. The most recent report is from March 12, 2025. April has the most reports, 80.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Alexander
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Benton, AR, 8 miles southwest of Alexander at 310 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. April is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 53.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 74 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.4 inches is more than at 64 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (67%). Benton, 5 miles northeast, has its own station (Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR): 50.6 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 57 | 34 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 66 | 41 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 75 | 50 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 60 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 71 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 63 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 53.4 | 67 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Benton, AR (310 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Alexander
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 368 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Alexander: 223 thunderstorm wind reports, 65 flash floods, 48 floods, 19 heavy rain events and 13 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $10.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 11, 1999. April has had the most flash floods, 17 of 65. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 196 have had fewer than Alexander.
April 5, 2025: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Alexander — 1 killed, 6 injured.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Alexander — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
June 4, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Alexander — 2 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Alexander's ZIP code 72002 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $533,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 103 Arkansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 17 have fewer than Alexander.
Saline County, which includes Alexander, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saline County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.8 million a year, the 11th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (42%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.