NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrisburg, 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 Harrisburg, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 24 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 24
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
65 deaths in all
What the records show for Harrisburg
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harrisburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Harrisburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Harrisburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 68% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 15, 1968, killed 35 people. Of the 132, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 63 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Harrisburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 25 times since 1986, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Harrisburg.
Compare Harrisburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrisburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Harrisburg: 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 Harrisburg
By decade
- 2020s32(4 EF3+)
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(3 EF3+)
- 1990s26(3 EF3+)
- 1980s16(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(8 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F4 | 17 mi | 20.9 mi | 35 / 364 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 19 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| Mar 15, 1984 | F4 | 10 mi | 26 mi | 5 / 12 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 4 / 5 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 12 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 20 mi | 72.55 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 3 mi | 51.8 mi | 3 / 96 |
| Jan 7, 1978 | F3 | 21 mi | 39.6 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 14 mi | 39.7 mi | 1 / 57 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 17 mi | 9.4 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 11 mi | 24.18 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | EF3 | 18 mi | 12.53 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrisburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 25 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrisburg since 1986, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 2, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrisburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jonesboro Municipal Airport, AR, 20 miles north of Harrisburg at 262 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 31°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.6 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. That 48.6 inches is more than at 14 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (15%). Marked Tree, 17 miles east, has its own station (Keiser, AR): 52.1 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 31 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Feb | 52 | 34 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 61 | 41 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 50 | 5.2 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 60 | 40 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 50 | 33 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 71 | 51 | 48.6 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jonesboro Municipal Airport, AR (262 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 Harrisburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 43 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrisburg: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $533,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on May 16, 2003. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 16. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Harrisburg.
May 1, 2011: flood 5 miles from the centre of Harrisburg — 1 killed, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain during late April into early May caused the St. Francis River to rise to near record levels.”
October 30, 2009: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Harrisburg — $122,000 damage.
NWS: “Crane Farm Road was flooded when water was flowing over the Big Creek bridge.”
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 Harrisburg's ZIP code 72432 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $273,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 19% 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, 29 have fewer than Harrisburg.
Poinsett County, which includes Harrisburg, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 6 floods, 4 ice storms, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Poinsett County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.6 million a year, the 17th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (16%), is from tornadoes.
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 Harrisburg
- Trumann, AR12 mi
- Bay, AR16 mi
- Marked Tree, AR17 mi
- Jonesboro, AR18 mi
- Lepanto, AR23 mi
- Wynne, AR23 mi
- Lake City, AR24 mi
- Earle, AR24 mi
- Bono, AR26 mi
- Brookland, AR27 mi
- Newport, AR30 mi
- Colt, AR32 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Harrisburg with another place →