NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kensett, 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 Kensett, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 136 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 21 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 136
- EF3 or stronger
- 21
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
103 deaths in all
What the records show for Kensett
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kensett; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Kensett begins with an unnamed storm in 1909; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 74 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 Kensett. The highest rating among the 136 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 50 people. Of the 136, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Kensett has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 95 times since 1972, with stones up to 5 inches. Kensett has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kensett
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kensett: 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 Kensett
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s34(2 EF3+)
- 1990s24(4 EF3+)
- 1980s18(3 EF3+)
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s15(6 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | in town | 14.6 mi | 50 / 325 |
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 24 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 17 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 10 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 29 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1959 | F3 | 16 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 15, 1955 | F3 | 24 mi | 36.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 15 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 7 mi | 34.9 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 17 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 14 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 136, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kensett
The Storm Prediction Center has 95 hail reports within 10 miles of Kensett since 1972, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kensett
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Searcy, AR, 4 miles northwest of Kensett at 230 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.8 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.8 inches is more than at 47 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (49%). Pangburn, 16 miles northwest, has its own station (Greers Ferry Dam, AR): 53.4 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 63 | 42 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 71 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 51.8 | 74 | 1.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Searcy, AR (230 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 Kensett
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kensett: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 floods, 28 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $8.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 24, 2017. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Kensett.
April 15, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kensett — 1 killed, 3 injured, $30,000 damage.
April 30, 2010: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Kensett — 2 injured.
July 29, 2009: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Kensett — 1 injured.
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
White County, which includes Kensett, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives White County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.9 million a year, the 9th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.9 million (35%), 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 Kensett
- Searcy, AR4 mi
- Judsonia, AR6 mi
- Bald Knob, AR9 mi
- Mc Rae, AR12 mi
- Pangburn, AR16 mi
- Beebe, AR16 mi
- Augusta, AR18 mi
- Romance, AR19 mi
- Bradford, AR20 mi
- Des Arc, AR21 mi
- Ward, AR21 mi
- Rose Bud, AR23 mi
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