NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Donaldson, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Donaldson, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Donaldson
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Donaldson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Donaldson begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 24 miles away. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Donaldson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 68% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 1, 1997, came within 8 miles. Of the 99, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on October 18, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Donaldson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Donaldson.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Donaldson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Donaldson: 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 Donaldson
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s10(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s19(7 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 8 mi | 27 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 4 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 16.78 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 5, 1999 | F3 | 20 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 14 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 25 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 18 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 3 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1967 | F3 | 17 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 13, 1957 | F3 | in town | 14.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1959 | F2 | 23 mi | 11.9 mi | 1 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Donaldson
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Donaldson since 1972, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 14, 2023. The most recent report is from August 18, 2024. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Donaldson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hot Springs Asos, AR, 6 miles northwest of Donaldson at 535 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 33°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 52.8 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 78 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 52 nights a year. That 52.8 inches is more than at 57 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (60%). Malvern, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Malvern, AR): 57.5 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 33 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 57 | 36 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Mar | 66 | 43 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 74 | 51 | 5.1 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 61 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 93 | 71 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Sep | 86 | 64 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 52 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 35 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 52.8 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hot Springs Asos, AR (535 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 Donaldson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 107 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Donaldson: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 floods, 11 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on April 3, 2014. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 41 have had fewer than Donaldson.
May 6, 2009: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Donaldson — $350,000 damage.
April 4, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Donaldson — $250,000 damage.
March 24, 1996: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Donaldson — $200,000 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
Hot Spring County, which includes Donaldson, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1982, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 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 Hot Spring County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.6 million a year, the 35th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.3 million (47%), 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 Donaldson
- Malvern, AR11 mi
- Arkadelphia, AR11 mi
- Bismarck, AR14 mi
- Hot Springs, AR17 mi
- Pearcy, AR20 mi
- Royal, AR25 mi
- Gurdon, AR26 mi
- Hot Springs Village, AR28 mi
- Amity, AR28 mi
- Sheridan, AR33 mi
- Bauxite, AR34 mi
- Bryant, AR36 mi
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