NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Little Rock, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Little Rock, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 181 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 181
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
68 deaths in all
What the records show for Little Rock
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Little Rock; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Little Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Little Rock has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 181 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 12 miles. Of the 181, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 90 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2025. Little Rock has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 429 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Little Rock has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Little Rock's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Little Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 62 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 Little Rock: 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 Little Rock
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s36(2 EF3+)
- 2000s44(1 EF3+)
- 1990s25(3 EF3+)
- 1980s22(4 EF3+)
- 1970s22(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(3 EF3+)
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 12 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 6 mi | 14 mi | 10 / 40 |
| Apr 10, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 4.7 mi | 6 / 200 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 6 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 4 mi | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | in town | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 16.78 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 16.5 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F3 | 2 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 181, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Little Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 429 hail reports within 10 miles of Little Rock since 1955, made on 208 separate days. Of these, 253 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on January 21, 1999. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 145.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Little Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR, 7 miles east of Little Rock at 258 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. April is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 71 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 50 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.6 inches is more than at 28 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (29%). North Little Rock, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Little Rock, AR): 51.8 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 4.0 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 50.6 | 71 | 3.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR (258 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 Little Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 553 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Little Rock: 313 thunderstorm wind reports, 143 flash floods, 49 heavy rain events, 31 lightning strikes and 17 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 16, and the NWS estimated $23.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on June 1, 1999. May has had the most flash floods, 36 of 143. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 209 have had fewer than Little Rock.
April 5, 2025: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Little Rock — 1 killed, 6 injured.
May 22, 2008: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Little Rock — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “A 17 year-old male was stuck and killed by lightning while standing under a large pine tree in the 1800 block of South Jackson Street (about 3 miles west-southwest of downtown Little Rock). Males 13 and 14 years old were injured.”
June 8, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Little Rock — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Little Rock's 12 ZIP codes have filed 977 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $16.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1978: 257 claims (26% of all) and $1.9 million, then Late spring severe storms in 2017 with 64 and Mid-spring storms in 2011 with 27. 40% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 103 Arkansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 102 have fewer than Little Rock.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1978 | 257 | $1.9 million |
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 64 | $3.1 million |
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 27 | $774,000 |
| Early winter storms2015 | 19 | $217,000 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 13 | $585,000 |
Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 8 floods, 4 ice storms, 4 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pulaski County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively High for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $212.2 million a year, the highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $91.0 million (43%), 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.