NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fayetteville, 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 Fayetteville, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Fayetteville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fayetteville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Fayetteville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 46 miles away. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Fayetteville. The highest rating among the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on March 30, 2022, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 114, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Fayetteville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 248 times since 1957, with stones up to 5 inches. Fayetteville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Fayetteville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fayetteville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | overhead | 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 Fayetteville: 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 Fayetteville
By decade
- 2020s29(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 11 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 4 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 3 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 7 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 6 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF2 | 6 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 32.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fayetteville
The Storm Prediction Center has 248 hail reports within 10 miles of Fayetteville since 1957, made on 143 separate days. Of these, 151 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on May 4, 2020. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 63.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fayetteville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville Exp Stn, AR, 2 miles northwest of Fayetteville at 1,270 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 46.3 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. That 46.3 inches is more than at 4 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (4%). Farmington, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Fayetteville Drake Field, AR): 47.2 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Mar | 59 | 38 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.5 | 6 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 66 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 60 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 46.3 | 62 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fayetteville Exp Stn, AR (1,270 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 Fayetteville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 268 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fayetteville: 187 thunderstorm wind reports, 73 flash floods, 5 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 19, 2025. April has had the most flash floods, 14 of 73. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 199 have had fewer than Fayetteville.
May 20, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed, $2,000 damage.
March 18, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed.
April 29, 2017: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Fayetteville's 3 ZIP codes have filed 258 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $7.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 56 claims (22% of all) and $1.3 million, then Late spring severe storms in 2017 with 53. 48% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 103 Arkansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 95 have fewer than Fayetteville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 56 | $1.3 million |
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 53 | $2.6 million |
Washington County, which includes Fayetteville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 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 Washington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $129.6 million a year, the 2nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $47.2 million (36%), is from heat waves.
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 Fayetteville
- Farmington, AR6 mi
- Springdale, AR7 mi
- Lowell, AR12 mi
- Prairie Grove, AR13 mi
- West Fork, AR13 mi
- Cave Springs, AR14 mi
- Elkins, AR14 mi
- Hindsville, AR16 mi
- Lincoln, AR17 mi
- Rogers, AR17 mi
- Winslow, AR19 mi
- Bentonville, AR20 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fayetteville with another place →