NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Calico Rock, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Calico Rock, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Calico Rock
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Calico Rock; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Calico Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1909; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 28 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Calico Rock has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on February 5, 2008, killed 13 people. Of the 75, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. March and April have had the most tornadoes, 15 each. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Calico Rock. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1970, with stones up to 8 inches. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Calico Rock.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Calico Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Calico Rock: 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 Calico Rock
By decade
- 2020s9(3 EF3+)
- 2010s5
- 2000s28(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(3 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 18 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| Apr 14, 1996 | F4 | 11 mi | 44 mi | 7 / 35 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 10 mi | 115.95 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 23 mi | 35.52 mi | 3 / 4 |
| Nov 18, 1985 | F3 | 20 mi | 34 mi | 3 / 16 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.3 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 14 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Mar 5, 1996 | F3 | 13 mi | 46.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 17 mi | 43.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Calico Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Calico Rock since 1970, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 8 inches, fell on June 19, 1970. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Calico Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Calico Rock 2 WSW, AR, 2 miles south of Calico Rock at 350 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 48.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 45 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 99 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.9 inches is more than at 17 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (18%). Mountain Home, 17 miles northwest, has its own station (Mountain Home 1 NNW, AR): 51.0 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 25 | 3.4 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.3 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 4.8 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 65 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 35 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 28 | 3.9 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 48.9 | 74 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Calico Rock 2 WSW, AR (350 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 Calico Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Calico Rock: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods, 9 flash floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 24, 2000. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 24 have had fewer than Calico Rock.
March 18, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Calico Rock — 1 killed, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “A 64 year old man died in the flooding, northwest of Onia. He was driving back to his home and apparently missed his turn off Arkansas Highway 263 due to the entire intersection being flooded.”
June 23, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Calico Rock — 1 killed.
January 3, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Calico Rock — 1 injured.
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 Calico Rock's ZIP code 72519 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $610,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 13. 56% 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, 42 have fewer than Calico Rock.
Izard County, which includes Calico Rock, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 8 floods, 3 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 Izard County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $10.1 million a year, the 46th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (36%), 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 Calico Rock
- Melbourne, AR15 mi
- Mountain Home, AR17 mi
- Mountain View, AR19 mi
- Gassville, AR21 mi
- Horseshoe Bend, AR24 mi
- Salem, AR24 mi
- Flippin, AR25 mi
- Yellville, AR30 mi
- Ash Flat, AR31 mi
- Marshall, AR32 mi
- Cherokee Village, AR36 mi
- Gainesville, MO36 mi
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