NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highland, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Highland, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Highland
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Highland; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Highland begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 46 miles away. 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 Highland. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on February 5, 2008, killed 13 people. Of the 68, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 16. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Highland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1971, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Highland.
Compare Highland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | overhead | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Highland: 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 Highland
By decade
- 2020s10(3 EF3+)
- 2010s4
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s2
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 2 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| Apr 14, 1996 | F4 | 15 mi | 44 mi | 7 / 35 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 2 mi | 115.95 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F4 | 2 mi | 63 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 18 mi | 80.97 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 23 mi | 23.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1996 | F3 | 18 mi | 46.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | in town | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 2, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F2 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F2 | 18 mi | 33 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Highland
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Highland since 1971, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.25 inches, was reported on 2 days, most recently April 15, 2022. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hardy, AR, 2 miles southwest of Highland at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.6 inches is more than at 44 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (46%). Mammoth Spring, 11 miles north, has its own station (Mammoth Spring, AR): 48.8 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 60 | 4.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 4.2 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 51.6 | 76 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hardy, AR (400 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 Highland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highland: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 floods, 23 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $29.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 26, 2024. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 23. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 127 have had fewer than Highland.
March 18, 2008: flood 3 miles from the centre of Highland — $15.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused the Spring River at Hardy to go above major flood level. The mayor of Hardy was notified by the Little Rock Office of the National Weather Service the day before this event that very heavy rain was possible.”
May 1, 2011: flood 10 miles from the centre of Highland — $4.8 million damage.
May 1, 2017: flood in Highland — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain at the end of April led to flooding which continued into May, 2017 along the Spring River at Hardy.”
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 Highland's ZIP code 72542 have filed 104 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March storm in 2008: 32 claims (31% of all) and $956,000, then Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025 with 22 and Mid-spring storms in 2011 with 12. 67% 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, 77 have fewer than Highland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March storm2008 | 32 | $956,000 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 22 | $1.8 million |
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 12 | $257,000 |
Sharp County, which includes Highland, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sharp County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.7 million a year, the 31st highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.6 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.