NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ash Flat, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ash Flat, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Ash Flat
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ash Flat; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Ash Flat begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 43 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ash Flat. The highest rating among the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on February 5, 2008, killed 13 people. Of the 66, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 15. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ash Flat. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1984, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Ash Flat has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Ash Flat's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ash Flat
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ash Flat: 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 Ash Flat
By decade
- 2020s7(3 EF3+)
- 2010s2
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s4
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 4 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| Apr 14, 1996 | F4 | 6 mi | 44 mi | 7 / 35 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 2 mi | 115.95 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F4 | 3 mi | 63 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 19 mi | 80.97 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 25 mi | 23.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1996 | F3 | 15 mi | 46.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 4 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 7 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1950 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F2 | 14 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 14, 1959 | F2 | 20 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 15 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ash Flat
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Ash Flat since 1984, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 15, 2022. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ash Flat
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hardy, AR, 8 miles east of Ash Flat at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.6 inches is more than at 44 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (46%). Horseshoe Bend, 6 miles west, has its own station (Salem, AR): 49.5 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 60 | 4.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 4.2 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 51.6 | 76 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hardy, AR (400 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 Ash Flat
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 138 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ash Flat: 93 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 19 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $13.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 10, 2013. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 104 have had fewer than Ash Flat.
March 20, 2012: flood 9 miles from the centre of Ash Flat — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
April 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ash Flat — 1 injured, $1.8 million damage.
May 1, 2017: flood 10 miles from the centre of Ash Flat — $2.5 million damage.
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
Sharp County, which includes Ash Flat, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sharp County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.7 million a year, the 31st highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.6 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.
Cities near Ash Flat
- Cherokee Village, AR6 mi
- Horseshoe Bend, AR6 mi
- Highland, AR9 mi
- Salem, AR13 mi
- Mammoth Spring, AR15 mi
- Cave City, AR21 mi
- Thayer, MO22 mi
- Melbourne, AR22 mi
- Imboden, AR27 mi
- Calico Rock, AR31 mi
- Batesville, AR32 mi
- Alton, MO34 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Ash Flat with another place →