NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Alma, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Alma, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
30 deaths in all
What the records show for Alma
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Alma; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Alma begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Alma. The strongest of the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 19, 1968, killed 14 people. Of the 123, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Alma has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 216 times since 1966, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Alma has more hail reports within 10 miles than 88% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Alma's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Alma
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Alma: 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 Alma
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s30(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(4 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 23 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| Apr 19, 1968 | F4 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 14 / 270 |
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 17 mi | 5.4 mi | 5 / 13 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 45.71 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 5 mi | 10.1 mi | 2 / 89 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 13 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 19 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 1 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1960 | F3 | in town | 13.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 15 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 23, 1953 | F3 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 24 mi | 40.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Alma
The Storm Prediction Center has 216 hail reports within 10 miles of Alma since 1966, made on 139 separate days. Of these, 100 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 5, 1999. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. April has the most reports, 71.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Alma
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mountainburg 2 NE, AR, 12 miles north of Alma at 793 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.6 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.6 inches is more than at 67 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (71%). Van Buren, 8 miles west, has its own station (Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR): 47.4 inches a year, 6.2 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 26 | 3.3 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 29 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 63 | 37 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 6.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 66 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 58 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 47 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 36 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 29 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 47 | 53.6 | 72 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mountainburg 2 NE, AR (793 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 Alma
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 267 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Alma: 201 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 flash floods and 17 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 7, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 13 of 49. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Alma.
May 11, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Alma — 1 killed.
February 20, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Alma — 3 injured, $170,000 damage.
August 20, 2006: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Alma — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage in the downtown Fort Smith area. A wind gust of 64 miles an hour was measured at the airport.”
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
Crawford County, which includes Alma, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Crawford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.9 million a year, the 16th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.3 million (45%), 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.
Cities near Alma
- Rudy, AR8 mi
- Van Buren, AR8 mi
- Mulberry, AR9 mi
- Lavaca, AR10 mi
- Mountainburg, AR12 mi
- Barling, AR12 mi
- Fort Smith, AR14 mi
- Charleston, AR16 mi
- Arkoma, OK16 mi
- Roland, OK17 mi
- Greenwood, AR20 mi
- Muldrow, OK20 mi
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