NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Greenwood, 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 Greenwood, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Greenwood
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Greenwood; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Greenwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Greenwood. The strongest of the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 19, 1968, killed 14 people. Of the 127, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Greenwood has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 175 times since 1966, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Greenwood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Greenwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 36 mi | 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 Greenwood: 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 Greenwood
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s16(4 EF3+)
- 1950s15(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 15 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| Apr 19, 1968 | F4 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 14 / 270 |
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 21 mi | 5.4 mi | 5 / 13 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 45.71 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 17 mi | 10.1 mi | 2 / 89 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 14, 1960 | F3 | 19 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 23, 1953 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 17 mi | 40.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Greenwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 175 hail reports within 10 miles of Greenwood since 1966, made on 114 separate days. Of these, 88 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 26, 2000. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Greenwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR, 11 miles northwest of Greenwood at 449 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 78 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.4 inches is more than at 7 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (7%). Mansfield, 10 miles south, has its own station (Waldron, AR): 53.3 inches a year, 5.9 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 30 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 57 | 33 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 75 | 50 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 71 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 63 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 32 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 47.4 | 66 | 2.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR (449 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 Greenwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 207 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Greenwood: 173 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 11 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on May 18, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 21. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Greenwood.
August 24, 2019: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Greenwood — 1 killed, $400,000 damage.
June 23, 2019: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Greenwood — 1 killed.
NWS: “Several roads were flooded in and around Greenwood. A motorist was driving east on Highway 10 and slid off the wet roadway into Heartsill Creek, where the vehicle overturned and he drowned.”
August 29, 2014: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Greenwood — 1 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Greenwood's ZIP code 72936 have filed 47 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2022, with 25. Of the 103 Arkansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 58 have fewer than Greenwood.
Sebastian County, which includes Greenwood, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 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 Sebastian County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $58.4 million a year, the 6th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.4 million (43%), 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 Greenwood
- Hackett, AR9 mi
- Barling, AR10 mi
- Mansfield, AR10 mi
- Lavaca, AR11 mi
- Pocola, OK13 mi
- Fort Smith, AR13 mi
- Charleston, AR14 mi
- Arkoma, OK15 mi
- Booneville, AR17 mi
- Cameron, OK17 mi
- Van Buren, AR19 mi
- Alma, AR20 mi
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