NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Huntsville, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Huntsville, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Huntsville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Huntsville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Huntsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Huntsville. The highest rating among the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 30, 2022, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1996, killed 2 people. Of the 63, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Huntsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Huntsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Huntsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Huntsville: 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 Huntsville
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s7
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 14 mi | 15 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 24 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 18 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 36.64 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 1966 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 20, 1962 | F2 | 4 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Huntsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Huntsville since 1967, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 1, 2009. The most recent report is from April 20, 2023. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Huntsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Huntsville 1 SSW, AR, 5 miles southwest of Huntsville at 1,783 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. That 45.7 inches is more than at 3 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (3%). Eureka Springs, 19 miles north, has its own station (Cassville, MO): 47.6 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 30 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Feb | 51 | 33 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 49 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 58 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 66 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 69 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Sep | 81 | 61 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 41 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 49 | 33 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Year | 68 | 50 | 45.7 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Huntsville 1 SSW, AR (1,783 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 Huntsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 85 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Huntsville: 67 thunderstorm wind reports and 18 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $455,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 26, 2024. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 18. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 101 have had fewer than Huntsville.
April 29, 2017: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Huntsville — 2 killed.
NWS: “War Eagle Creek flooded portions of several roads north and east of Hindsville. A woman drove a vehicle into flood water and was swept downstream.”
October 8, 2009: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Huntsville — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were flooded and closed in and around Metalton, Oak Grove, and Carrollton. Some of these were washed out by flood water.”
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
Madison County, which includes Huntsville, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 7 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.7 million a year, the 41st highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (52%), 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 Huntsville
- Hindsville, AR12 mi
- Elkins, AR18 mi
- Berryville, AR18 mi
- Eureka Springs, AR19 mi
- Green Forest, AR22 mi
- Holiday Island, AR23 mi
- Lowell, AR26 mi
- Springdale, AR26 mi
- Fayetteville, AR26 mi
- Jasper, AR27 mi
- Garfield, AR27 mi
- Rogers, AR28 mi
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