NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cave Springs, 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 Cave Springs, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 138 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 138
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Cave Springs
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cave Springs; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Cave Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cave Springs. The highest rating among the 138 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 138, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Cave Springs has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 261 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Cave Springs has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Cave Springs's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cave Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 12 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 Cave Springs: 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 Cave Springs
By decade
- 2020s26(2 EF3+)
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(2 EF3+)
- 1990s19(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 6 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 9 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 9 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 5 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 23 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 19 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 17 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 17 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 6 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 16 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 138, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cave Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 261 hail reports within 10 miles of Cave Springs since 1961, made on 134 separate days. Of these, 145 were 1 inch across or larger, and 25 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 13, 1995. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 77.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cave Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bentonville 4 S, AR, 4 miles north of Cave Springs 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%). Springdale, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Fayetteville Exp Stn, AR): 46.3 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 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 Cave Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 317 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cave Springs: 231 thunderstorm wind reports, 74 flash floods, 7 floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 8 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $26.3 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, 17 of 74. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 200 have had fewer than Cave Springs.
April 25, 2011: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Cave Springs — 2 killed.
August 29, 2022: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Cave Springs — 2 killed.
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cave Springs — 1 killed, $50,000 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
Benton County, which includes Cave Springs, 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.