Skip to content

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clarksville, 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

4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Clarksville, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
4

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
92

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
9

8 deaths in all

What the records show for Clarksville

None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clarksville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Clarksville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 72% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Clarksville. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 24, 2011; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 92, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on November 4, 2024. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clarksville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 131 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Clarksville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities.

Compare Clarksville's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clarksville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Clarksville, Arkansas, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2008IkeSep 149 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1961CarlaSep 1358 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 2064 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2856 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clarksville: 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 Clarksville

By decade

  • 2020s13
  • 2010s16(2 EF3+)
  • 2000s16
  • 1990s11
  • 1980s6(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s8(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s12(4 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Clarksville, Arkansas
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 24, 2011EF45 mi45.71 mi4 / 27
May 24, 2011EF32 mi29.01 mi1 / 4
Apr 7, 1980F32 mi3.6 mi0 / 76
Jun 6, 1974F313 mi11.7 mi0 / 0
Apr 14, 1960F35 mi2 mi0 / 0
Mar 31, 1959F320 mi2 mi0 / 0
Feb 15, 1954F3in town1 mi0 / 24
Mar 14, 1953F319 mi12.2 mi0 / 7
Mar 14, 1953F3in town40.1 mi0 / 0
Nov 23, 2001F210 mi31.5 mi1 / 4
May 5, 1961F220 mi1 mi1 / 4
Mar 12, 1961F25 mi28.8 mi1 / 18

The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Clarksville

The Storm Prediction Center has 131 hail reports within 10 miles of Clarksville since 1959, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 30, 1998. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 44.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Clarksville

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clarksville 2N, AR, 1 mile northeast of Clarksville at 448 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.1 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 61 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.1 inches is more than at 36 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (38%). Lamar, 7 miles east, has its own station (Clarksville 6 NE, AR): 52.8 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Clarksville 2N, AR
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan48293.750.7
Feb53333.350.8
Mar62404.570.6
Apr71494.860.0
May79595.580.0
Jun87674.460.0
Jul92714.260.0
Aug92703.850.0
Sep85633.540.0
Oct73514.260.0
Nov61405.160.0
Dec51324.160.4
Year715051.1682.5

Averages for 1991–2020 at Clarksville 2N, AR (448 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.

Arkansas weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Clarksville

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 168 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clarksville: 149 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on May 1, 2019. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 16. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Clarksville.

  • June 12, 2009: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Clarksville — $500,000 damage.

    NWS: “Numerous trees were blown down, some of which fell on houses. Numerous power lines were blown down, and some power poles were snapped.”

  • October 1, 2007: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Clarksville — $125,000 damage.

    NWS: “S. Forest Service Pleasant Hill District office of the Ozark National Forest.”

  • August 3, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Clarksville — $125,000 damage.

    NWS: “Several homes were damaged, and trees and power lines were blown down. Two tractor-trailers were blown onto their sides on Interstate 40.”

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

Johnson County, which includes Clarksville, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Johnson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.3 million a year, the 33rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.9 million (48%), 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 Clarksville