NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hensley, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hensley, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 151 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 151
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Hensley
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hensley; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1909, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Hensley begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 14 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Hensley has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 151 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 1, 1997, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 1, 1997, killed 10 people. Of the 151, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Hensley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Hensley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Hensley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hensley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 54 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 Hensley: 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 Hensley
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s33
- 1990s27(5 EF3+)
- 1980s20(2 EF3+)
- 1970s20(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 9 mi | 14 mi | 10 / 40 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 8 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 24 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 11 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 34.23 mi | 0 / 54 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 12, 1966 | F3 | 7 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F3 | 8 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 19, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 151, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hensley
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Hensley since 1955, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on January 7, 1978. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hensley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR, 15 miles north of Hensley at 258 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. April is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 50 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.6 inches is more than at 28 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (29%). Redfield, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Sheridan, AR): 55.3 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 4.0 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 50.6 | 71 | 3.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR (258 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 Hensley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hensley: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 12 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $19.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 1, 2026. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Hensley.
March 21, 2012: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Hensley — 1 killed, $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and unincorporated areas of Pulaski County were flooded. Water entered some houses and garages on Stagecoach Rd.”
December 28, 2019: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Hensley — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Hensley — $8.5 million damage.
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
Saline County, which includes Hensley, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saline County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.8 million a year, the 11th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (42%), 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.