NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit De Witt, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of De Witt, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for De Witt
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed De Witt; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near De Witt begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 68 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. De Witt has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The strongest of the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1968; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 80, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than De Witt. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1972, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than De Witt.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near De Witt
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in De Witt: 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 De Witt
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s8
- 2000s26(3 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 21 mi | 33.7 mi | 5 / 16 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF3 | 10 mi | 14.05 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Feb 24, 2007 | EF3 | 19 mi | 29.1 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 23 mi | 42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1983 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 9, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 9, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 2, 1954 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 9 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2022 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 3 mi | 18.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 22, 2012 | EF2 | 6 mi | 14.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in De Witt
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of De Witt since 1972, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on September 25, 2011. The most recent report is from September 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in De Witt
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Charles, AR, 13 miles northeast of De Witt at 200 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 33°F. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 52.0 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 41% of the year's precipitation (21.5 of 52.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 90°F and 2.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 68 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.0 inches is more than at 51 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (54%). Stuttgart, 18 miles northwest, has its own station (Stuttgart 9 ESE, AR): 50.7 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 33 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 55 | 36 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 64 | 44 | 5.7 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 72 | 52 | 5.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 61 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 69 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 72 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 51 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 42 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 35 | 5.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 52 | 52.0 | 57 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Charles, AR (200 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 De Witt
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of De Witt: 50 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $302,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on April 13, 2022. April 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 De Witt.
April 29, 2017: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of De Witt — 1 killed.
NWS: “Several large trees downed. One tree fell on a mobile home and a woman inside was killed.”
September 3, 2008: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of De Witt — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “At least one home was flooded.”
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
Arkansas County, which includes De Witt, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on November 14, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Arkansas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.2 million a year, the 30th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (37%), 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 De Witt
- Stuttgart, AR18 mi
- Gould, AR24 mi
- Dumas, AR28 mi
- Rosedale, MS36 mi
- Star City, AR38 mi
- Hazen, AR38 mi
- England, AR38 mi
- Pine Bluff, AR41 mi
- Brinkley, AR41 mi
- Helena, AR41 mi
- Carlisle, AR42 mi
- West Helena, AR42 mi
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