NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arkadelphia, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arkadelphia, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Arkadelphia
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arkadelphia; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1865, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Arkadelphia begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Arkadelphia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 1, 1997, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 78, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on October 18, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Arkadelphia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1975, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Arkadelphia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arkadelphia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 8 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 Arkadelphia: 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 Arkadelphia
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s4
- 2000s14
- 1990s17(7 EF3+)
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s8
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | in town | 27 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 4 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 5, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 8 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1984 | F3 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 6 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1957 | F3 | 8 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2009 | EF2 | 23 mi | 25.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arkadelphia
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Arkadelphia since 1975, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 14, 2023. The most recent report is from May 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arkadelphia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Arkadelphia 2 N, AR, 2 miles north of Arkadelphia at 196 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 31°F. May is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 54.8 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 77 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 54.8 inches is more than at 70 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (74%). Donaldson, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Hot Springs Asos, AR): 52.8 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 31 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 59 | 34 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 68 | 42 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 76 | 50 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 6.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 70 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 63 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 51 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 40 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 34 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 75 | 51 | 54.8 | 63 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Arkadelphia 2 N, AR (196 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 Arkadelphia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arkadelphia: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 57 floods, 26 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 10, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 26. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Arkadelphia.
September 3, 2008: flood in Arkadelphia — $630,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall from Tropical Depression Gustav created minor flooding along the Ouachita River. Arkansas Highway 7 was flooded southeast of Arkadelphia at the railroad underpass.”
July 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind in Arkadelphia — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines were blown down. Approximately 17 houses were damaged by falling trees.”
May 6, 2009: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Arkadelphia — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “There were 14 homes and 5 businesses with flood damage. The North Eighth Street Bridge was closed due to flooding.”
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 Arkadelphia's ZIP code 71923 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $543,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 32% 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, 33 have fewer than Arkadelphia.
Clark County, which includes Arkadelphia, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clark County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.2 million a year, the 45th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (35%), 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 Arkadelphia
- Donaldson, AR11 mi
- Bismarck, AR14 mi
- Gurdon, AR14 mi
- Malvern, AR22 mi
- Pearcy, AR24 mi
- Amity, AR25 mi
- Hot Springs, AR26 mi
- Prescott, AR28 mi
- Royal, AR31 mi
- Glenwood, AR34 mi
- Bearden, AR35 mi
- Murfreesboro, AR37 mi
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