NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hope, 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 Hope, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Hope
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hope; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Hope begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 2000s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Hope has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 68% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 1, 1997, came within 23 miles. Of the 80, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hope. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Hope has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hope
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 25 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 29 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 Hope: 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 Hope
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12
- 2000s11
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 23 mi | 27 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 15 mi | 45 mi | 3 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | in town | 18 mi | 5 / 4 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 2 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1971 | F3 | 5 mi | 20.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 14 mi | 111.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 13 mi | 86.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.7 mi | 2 / 8 |
| Apr 5, 2025 | EF2 | 3 mi | 10.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 14.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1.84 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hope
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Hope since 1955, made on 75 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 18, 2001. The most recent report is from April 4, 2022. April has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hope
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hope 3 NE, AR, 4 miles northeast of Hope at 375 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 32°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 55.6 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 71 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.6 inches is more than at 74 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (78%). Prescott, 17 miles northeast, has its own station (Prescott 2 NNW, AR): 56.7 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 32 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 58 | 35 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 5.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 70 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 4.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 34 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 55.6 | 71 | 2.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hope 3 NE, AR (375 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 Hope
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hope: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 4, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 25. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 132 have had fewer than Hope.
June 2, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Hope — 2 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees downed all around the community of Perrytown, Arkansas. Many trees on homes in the community.”
June 2, 2004: thunderstorm wind in Hope — 2 injured, $60,000 damage.
NWS: “Three 18-wheeler trucks turned over on I-30 due to the high winds. 2 minor injuries reported.”
July 5, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Hope — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and powerlines were downed on North Pine Street and a large tree was down at the intersection of Edgewood and Third Streets. One of the trees was blown onto a pickup truck.”
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
Hempstead County, which includes Hope, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hempstead County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (32%), 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 Hope
- Prescott, AR17 mi
- Waldo, AR27 mi
- Nashville, AR27 mi
- Texarkana, AR28 mi
- Fouke, AR31 mi
- Ashdown, AR31 mi
- Gurdon, AR32 mi
- Texarkana, TX32 mi
- Murfreesboro, AR32 mi
- Nash, TX34 mi
- Magnolia, AR36 mi
- Lockesburg, AR38 mi
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