NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gurdon, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gurdon, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 73
- 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 Gurdon
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gurdon; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Gurdon begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Gurdon has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 1, 1997, came within 7 miles. Of the 73, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gurdon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gurdon.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gurdon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 7 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 Gurdon: 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 Gurdon
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s5
- 2000s11
- 1990s13(6 EF3+)
- 1980s14(3 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 7 mi | 27 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 21 mi | 45 mi | 3 / 23 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 18 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 5, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 5 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1984 | F3 | 10 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1979 | F3 | 14 mi | 62.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 13, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 14.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gurdon
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Gurdon since 1968, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 2021. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gurdon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Prescott 2 NNW, AR, 16 miles southwest of Gurdon at 308 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 56.7 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 62 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.7 inches is more than at 82 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (86%). Arkadelphia, 14 miles north, has its own station (Arkadelphia 2 N, AR): 54.8 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 30 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 58 | 33 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 66 | 40 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 70 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 69 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 32 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 74 | 50 | 56.7 | 74 | 2.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Prescott 2 NNW, AR (308 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 Gurdon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gurdon: 46 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $379,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 6, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 10. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 30 have had fewer than Gurdon.
April 4, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Gurdon — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines were blown down around Gurdon. One tree fell on a house.”
August 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind in Gurdon — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Large oak trees were snapped and uprooted. Shingles were removed from several structures and tin roofing was ripped off and thrown 500 feet.”
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 Gurdon's ZIP code 71743 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2003, and were paid $356,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 18% 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, 6 have fewer than Gurdon.
Clark County, which includes Gurdon, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clark County a Very 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 $10.2 million a year, the 45th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (35%), 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 Gurdon
- Arkadelphia, AR14 mi
- Prescott, AR15 mi
- Donaldson, AR26 mi
- Bismarck, AR26 mi
- Camden, AR30 mi
- Amity, AR30 mi
- Bearden, AR31 mi
- Hope, AR32 mi
- Murfreesboro, AR35 mi
- Pearcy, AR36 mi
- Malvern, AR36 mi
- Glenwood, AR39 mi
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