NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dardanelle, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dardanelle, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Dardanelle
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dardanelle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Dardanelle begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Dardanelle. The strongest of the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on February 5, 2008; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 13 people. Of the 90, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2023. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dardanelle. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 136 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Dardanelle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Dardanelle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dardanelle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dardanelle: 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 Dardanelle
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(3 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 9 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 29.01 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Feb 14, 1956 | F3 | 10 mi | 33 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 76 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 5 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 14, 1960 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jan 8, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 20.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 5, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jun 18, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dardanelle
The Storm Prediction Center has 136 hail reports within 10 miles of Dardanelle since 1956, made on 96 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently April 11, 2022. The most recent report is from May 7, 2025. May has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dardanelle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dardanelle, AR, 3 miles north of Dardanelle at 370 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.6 inches is more than at 22 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (23%). Russellville, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Russellville Municipal Airport, AR): 46.6 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 29 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 3.3 | 5 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 69 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 62 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 32 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 49.6 | 66 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dardanelle, AR (370 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 Dardanelle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 234 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dardanelle: 187 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 13 floods, 9 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 23, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 23. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 127 have had fewer than Dardanelle.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Dardanelle — 1 killed.
May 9, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Dardanelle — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A water rescue was completed of 4 people who were in a car that went off into a creek off on Southpoint Lane west of Dardanelle. Two individuals had minor injuries.”
May 15, 2022: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Dardanelle — 2 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
Yell County, which includes Dardanelle, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.0 million a year, the 32nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (52%), 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 Dardanelle
- Russellville, AR7 mi
- Pottsville, AR8 mi
- Ola, AR13 mi
- London, AR14 mi
- Belleville, AR15 mi
- Atkins, AR16 mi
- Danville, AR17 mi
- Dover, AR19 mi
- Lamar, AR21 mi
- Perryville, AR24 mi
- Morrilton, AR24 mi
- Hector, AR25 mi
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