NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bearden, 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 Bearden, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Bearden
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bearden; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1909, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Bearden begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 1 mile away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Bearden has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on January 21, 1999, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 14, 1990, killed 1 person. Of the 56, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. December has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on July 8, 2024. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bearden. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bearden.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bearden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 11 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 24 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 Bearden: 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 Bearden
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s25
- 1990s8(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 13 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 24 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1984 | F3 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1982 | F3 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1979 | F3 | 11 mi | 62.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Mar 14, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Jan 22, 2012 | EF2 | 6 mi | 19.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2009 | EF2 | 9 mi | 25.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2009 | EF2 | 1 mi | 10.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2003 | F2 | 15 mi | 25.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F2 | 4 mi | 25.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bearden
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Bearden since 1969, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently October 18, 2025. The most recent report is from October 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bearden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Camden 1, AR, 14 miles southwest of Bearden at 116 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. December is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 53.2 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 82 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.2 inches is more than at 62 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (65%). Fordyce, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Fordyce, AR): 57.6 inches a year, 4.4 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 58 | 34 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 75 | 50 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 4.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 33 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 53.2 | 71 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Camden 1, AR (116 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 Bearden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bearden: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 5 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 4, 2011. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 6 have had fewer than Bearden.
October 7, 2008: flood 10 miles from the centre of Bearden — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “An elderly man drowned when he drove his small SUV into floodwaters on Arkansas Highway 7 south of Amy. The vehicle was washed off the highway and overturned.”
May 15, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Bearden — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck an electrical substation and set fire to a large transformer. Power was initially knocked out to a large part of Calhoun County, but some of the power was restored quickly.”
September 2, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bearden — $500,000 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
Ouachita County, which includes Bearden, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ouachita County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 43rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (43%), 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 Bearden
- Fordyce, AR14 mi
- Camden, AR14 mi
- Hampton, AR18 mi
- Smackover, AR27 mi
- Gurdon, AR31 mi
- Rison, AR32 mi
- Warren, AR34 mi
- Arkadelphia, AR35 mi
- El Dorado, AR36 mi
- Donaldson, AR40 mi
- Prescott, AR42 mi
- Sheridan, AR43 mi
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