NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Augusta, 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 Augusta, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 23 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 23
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
104 deaths in all
What the records show for Augusta
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Augusta; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Augusta begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Augusta. The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 50 people. Of the 123, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 29. Augusta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Augusta.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Augusta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 69 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 Augusta: 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 Augusta
By decade
- 2020s10(2 EF3+)
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25(3 EF3+)
- 1990s22(4 EF3+)
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13(6 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 12 mi | 14.6 mi | 50 / 325 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 17 mi | 13.1 mi | 29 / 180 |
| Mar 15, 1984 | F4 | 17 mi | 26 mi | 5 / 12 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 4 / 5 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 2 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 22 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 23 mi | 72.55 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F3 | 4 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 1978 | F3 | 17 mi | 39.6 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 30, 2010 | EF3 | 14 mi | 7.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 17 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 7 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Augusta
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Augusta since 1961, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Augusta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Searcy, AR, 20 miles west of Augusta at 230 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.8 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.8 inches is more than at 47 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (49%). Mc Crory, 12 miles east, has its own station (Beedeville 4 NE, AR): 51.1 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 63 | 42 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 71 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 51.8 | 74 | 1.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Searcy, AR (230 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 Augusta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 487 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Augusta: 404 floods, 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $20.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 2, 2019. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 41 have had fewer than Augusta.
March 18, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Augusta — $5.3 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused the White River at Georgetown to go above major flood level. This was the highest the river had risen since the two major flood reduction reservoirs were built in the middle of the twentieth century.”
March 18, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Augusta — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused the White River at Augusta to go above major flood level. The river was above minor flood level at the start of the event, but continued to rise due to heavy rains.”
May 1, 2017: flood 4 miles from the centre of Augusta — $3.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain from April caused flooding that continued into May on the White River at Augusta.”
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 Augusta's ZIP code 72006 have filed 45 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 16 claims (36% of all) and $427,000. 80% 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, 57 have fewer than Augusta.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 16 | $427,000 |
Woodruff County, which includes Augusta, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Woodruff County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.5 million a year, the 57th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.6 million (30%), 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 Augusta
- Mc Crory, AR12 mi
- Bald Knob, AR12 mi
- Bradford, AR16 mi
- Judsonia, AR17 mi
- Kensett, AR18 mi
- Searcy, AR22 mi
- Des Arc, AR23 mi
- Newport, AR24 mi
- Colt, AR28 mi
- Mc Rae, AR28 mi
- Brinkley, AR28 mi
- Pangburn, AR29 mi
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