NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Junction City, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Junction City, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Junction City
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Junction City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1909, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Junction City begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The 1900s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 15 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Junction City is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on February 24, 2007, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on February 12, 1950, killed 5 people. Of the 88, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on July 8, 2024. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Junction City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1964, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Junction City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Junction City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 27 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 Junction City: 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 Junction City
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s10
- 2000s23(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2005 | F3 | 4 mi | 24 mi | 2 / 13 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 11 mi | 60 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Feb 24, 2007 | EF3 | 4 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 5 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 19, 1983 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 8 mi | 61.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1972 | F3 | 18 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F2 | 24 mi | 58.4 mi | 5 / 10 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F2 | 9 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 3.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Junction City
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Junction City since 1964, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 9, 2009. The most recent report is from April 15, 2023. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Junction City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is El Dorado S Ar Regional Airport, AR, 11 miles north of Junction City at 252 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (22.3 of 52.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 88 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 53 nights a year. That 52.1 inches is more than at 54 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (57%). Bernice, LA, 18 miles south, has its own station (Farmerville, LA): 58.3 inches a year, 6.2 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 60 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 44 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 5.4 | 7 |
| May | 84 | 61 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 91 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 94 | 70 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 88 | 63 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 52 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 42 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 58 | 36 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 52 | 52.1 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at El Dorado S Ar Regional Airport, AR (252 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 Junction City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Junction City: 61 thunderstorm wind reports and 15 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $762,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 7, 2021. October has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 76 have had fewer than Junction City.
August 20, 2018: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Junction City — 1 killed.
NWS: “A large hardwood tree that was rotten on the interior portion of the trunk was blown onto a mobile home on Pilgrims Rest Church Road northwest of Spearsville (and about two miles south of the Arkansas state line), killing a 45 year old woman inside the home. No one else was inside the home at the time of the incident.”
April 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Junction City — 1 injured.
NWS: “A woman was injured when trees fell across her mobile home in the Newell Community. She was trapped for several hours until rescued but suffered only minor injuries.”
October 9, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Junction City — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees were downed in the community of Junction City, Arkansas blocking four city streets. Damage was also reported in town where trees were downed at the intersection of North Newton and Oakhurst Boulevard.”
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
Union County, which includes Junction City, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.6 million a year, the 38th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (39%), 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 Junction City
- El Dorado, AR12 mi
- Bernice, LA18 mi
- Smackover, AR20 mi
- Haynesville, LA22 mi
- Strong, AR24 mi
- Homer, LA25 mi
- Dubach, LA27 mi
- Magnolia, AR28 mi
- Farmerville, LA31 mi
- Marion, LA33 mi
- Arcadia, LA35 mi
- Camden, AR35 mi
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