NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hector, 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 October 26, 2026

5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hector, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes: 0
Tropical storms: 5
Tornadoes: 81
EF3 or stronger: 11

What the records show for Hector

None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hector; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Hector begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hector. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 24, 2011, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on February 5, 2008, killed 13 people. Of the 81, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. March and May have had the most tornadoes, 18 each. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2023. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hector. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1982, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hector.

Compare Hector's storm record with another city →

ShareX Facebook WhatsApp Email

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hector

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Hector, Arkansas, newest first
Year	Storm	Closest	Strength when closest	Peak
2008	IkeSep 14	28 mi	Tropical storm (41 mph)	Category 4
1961	CarlaSep 13	73 mi	Tropical storm (40 mph)	Category 4
1941	Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24	67 mi	Tropical storm (40 mph)	Category 3
1915	Unnamed 1915 stormAug 19	38 mi	Tropical storm (40 mph)	Category 4
1879	Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24	69 mi	Tropical storm (40 mph)	Category 2

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hector: 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 Hector

By decade

2020s4
2010s11(3 EF3+)
2000s17(2 EF3+)
1990s13(1 EF3+)
1980s7(2 EF3+)
1970s13
1960s6
1950s10(3 EF3+)

Strongest tornadoes near Hector, Arkansas
Date	Rating	Distance	Path	Killed / injured
Feb 5, 2008	EF4	17 mi	121.84 mi	13 / 139
May 24, 2011	EF4	24 mi	45.71 mi	4 / 27
May 2, 2008	EF3	25 mi	45.3 mi	5 / 24
May 24, 2011	EF3	15 mi	29.01 mi	1 / 4
Apr 30, 2010	EF3	13 mi	20.28 mi	1 / 15
Feb 14, 1956	F3	20 mi	33 mi	1 / 5
Mar 5, 1999	F3	19 mi	10 mi	0 / 0
Dec 23, 1982	F3	17 mi	14 mi	0 / 0
Dec 2, 1982	F3	22 mi	23 mi	0 / 0
Mar 14, 1953	F3	12 mi	12.2 mi	0 / 7
Mar 14, 1953	F3	24 mi	40.1 mi	0 / 0
Jan 8, 2008	EF2	9 mi	20.46 mi	1 / 2

The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Hector

The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Hector since 1982, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 2, 2018. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. April and June have the most reports, 8 each.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Hector

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Russellville Municipal Airport, AR, 20 miles southwest of Hector at 403 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 30°F. April is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. That 46.6 inches is more than at 5 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (5%). London, 21 miles southwest, has its own station (Dardanelle, AR): 49.6 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Russellville Municipal Airport, AR
Month	High °F	Low °F	Precip. in	Days ≥ 0.1"
Jan	50	30	3.2	5
Feb	55	33	3.1	6
Mar	64	41	4.4	7
Apr	73	49	4.8	7
May	80	59	4.7	7
Jun	88	68	3.4	5
Jul	93	71	3.5	6
Aug	92	70	3.5	6
Sep	86	62	3.0	4
Oct	74	50	4.1	5
Nov	62	39	4.6	5
Dec	52	32	4.3	6
Year	72	50	46.6	68

Averages for 1991–2020 at Russellville Municipal Airport, AR (403 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.

Arkansas weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Hector

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hector: 30 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $166,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on January 10, 2020.

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

Pope County, which includes Hector, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pope County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning 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 $38.7 million a year, the 13th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.6 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 Hector

All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Hector with another place →

ShareX Facebook WhatsApp Email