NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hughes, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hughes, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Hughes
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hughes; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Hughes begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The 1900s and the 1920s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Hughes has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on May 2, 2008, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on December 14, 1987, killed 6 people. Of the 65, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hughes. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 26 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hughes.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hughes
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 73 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 Hughes: 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 Hughes
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s5
- 2000s5(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s17(2 EF3+)
- 1970s19(6 EF3+)
- 1960s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 1987 | F3 | 17 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 121 |
| Jun 6, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 4 / 112 |
| Jan 7, 1978 | F3 | 24 mi | 39.6 mi | 1 / 9 |
| May 2, 2008 | EF3 | 21 mi | 20.23 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 20 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 19, 1970 | F3 | 5 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 10.24 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Dec 21, 2013 | EF2 | 5 mi | 15.57 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hughes
The Storm Prediction Center has 26 hail reports within 10 miles of Hughes since 1984, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 11, 1987. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hughes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tunica 2 N, MS, 15 miles south of Hughes at 206 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 33°F. April and May are the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 56.7 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 41% of the year's precipitation (23.5 of 56.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 75°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 74 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 53 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.7 inches is more than at 82 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (86%). Lake Cormorant, MS, 14 miles east, has its own station (Hernando, MS): 56.5 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 33 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 54 | 36 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 63 | 44 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 63 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 73 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 71 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 65 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 42 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 52 | 35 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 53 | 56.7 | 73 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tunica 2 N, MS (206 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 Hughes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 26 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hughes: 18 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.00 billion in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on January 11, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 6 have had fewer than Hughes.
May 1, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Hughes — $2.00 billion damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Hughes — $750,000 damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hughes — $500,000 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
St. Francis County, which includes Hughes, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 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 St. Francis County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.9 million a year, the 27th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (46%), 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 Hughes
- Robinsonville, MS12 mi
- Lake Cormorant, MS14 mi
- Tunica, MS18 mi
- Walls, MS18 mi
- Forrest City, AR20 mi
- West Memphis, AR21 mi
- Marianna, AR22 mi
- Horn Lake, MS23 mi
- Marion, AR23 mi
- Earle, AR23 mi
- Hernando, MS25 mi
- Southaven, MS26 mi
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