NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mabelvale, 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 Mabelvale, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 161 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 161
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
56 deaths in all
What the records show for Mabelvale
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mabelvale; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Mabelvale begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 15 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Mabelvale has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 161 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 19 miles. Of the 161, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Mabelvale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 239 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Mabelvale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Mabelvale's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mabelvale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 54 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 Mabelvale: 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 Mabelvale
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s36
- 1990s25(5 EF3+)
- 1980s20(1 EF3+)
- 1970s23(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 19 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 1 mi | 14 mi | 10 / 40 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 2 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 23 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | in town | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 4 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F3 | 5 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 10 mi | 34.23 mi | 0 / 54 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1966 | F3 | 12 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F3 | 10 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 161, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mabelvale
The Storm Prediction Center has 239 hail reports within 10 miles of Mabelvale since 1955, made on 134 separate days. Of these, 140 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on January 7, 1978. The most recent report is from March 12, 2025. April has the most reports, 87.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mabelvale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Little Rock Airport Adams Field, AR, 12 miles northeast of Mabelvale 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%). Bryant, 6 miles west, has its own station (Benton, AR): 53.4 inches a year, 2.8 more than here, and a July average high of 93°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 Mabelvale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 254 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mabelvale: 169 thunderstorm wind reports, 56 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events, 11 lightning strikes and 6 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $13.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 1, 2026. April has had the most flash floods, 15 of 56. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 183 have had fewer than Mabelvale.
April 5, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Mabelvale — 1 killed, 6 injured.
May 22, 2008: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Mabelvale — 1 killed, 2 injured.
March 21, 2012: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Mabelvale — 1 killed, $350,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Mabelvale's ZIP code 72103 have filed 111 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2009, with 22. 8% 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, 81 have fewer than Mabelvale.
Saline County, which includes Mabelvale, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saline County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.8 million a year, the 11th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (42%), 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.