NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bentonville, 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 Bentonville, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 130 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 130
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Bentonville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bentonville; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Bentonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 63 miles away. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bentonville. The highest rating among the 130 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 130, 22 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Bentonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 231 times since 1965, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Bentonville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Bentonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bentonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 17 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 Bentonville: 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 Bentonville
By decade
- 2020s21(2 EF3+)
- 2010s35(2 EF3+)
- 2000s15(2 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s6
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 12 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 13 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 14 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 17.93 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 3 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 23 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 22 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | in town | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 5 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 130, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bentonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 231 hail reports within 10 miles of Bentonville since 1965, made on 116 separate days. Of these, 118 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on October 26, 1995. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 69.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bentonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bentonville 4 S, AR, 3 miles south of Bentonville at 1,220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 24°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.5 inches is more than at 9 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (9%). Bella Vista, 8 miles north, has its own station (Gravette, AR): 48.7 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 24 | 2.7 | 4 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 2.7 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 4.2 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 65 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 49 | 27 | 3.3 | 5 | 1.2 |
| Year | 69 | 45 | 47.5 | 70 | 9.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bentonville 4 S, AR (1,220 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 Bentonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 314 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bentonville: 236 thunderstorm wind reports, 63 flash floods, 10 floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $27.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on April 15, 2001. April has had the most flash floods, 14 of 63. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Bentonville.
April 25, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Bentonville — 2 killed.
NWS: “Widespread heavy rainfall resulted in many county roads becoming flooded and closed. A vehicle was driven around a barricade and was washed off Opal Road at a low water bridge.”
August 29, 2022: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Bentonville — 2 killed.
NWS: “Two boys playing in shallow flood water in a retention area, wandered close to a storm drain, and were pulled under the water. A woman immediately dove into the water to attempt to rescue the boys, and managed to save one of them.”
May 26, 2024: flood 5 miles from the centre of Bentonville — 1 killed.
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 Bentonville's 2 ZIP codes have filed 55 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $764,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% 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, 66 have fewer than Bentonville.
Benton County, which includes Bentonville, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Benton County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $91.9 million a year, the 3rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.7 million (54%), 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.