NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mansfield, 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 Mansfield, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Mansfield
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mansfield; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Mansfield 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 Mansfield. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1961, killed 16 people. Of the 96, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mansfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Mansfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mansfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 42 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 Mansfield: 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 Mansfield
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s11
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 20 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 5, 1961 | F4 | 25 mi | 26.4 mi | 16 / 58 |
| Apr 19, 1968 | F4 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 14 / 270 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 22 mi | 45.71 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 20 mi | 40.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 8.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 25 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1981 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F2 | 11 mi | 20.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F2 | 5 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mansfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Mansfield since 1959, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently January 21, 1999. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mansfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waldron, AR, 12 miles southeast of Mansfield at 716 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 53.3 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 82 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.3 inches is more than at 63 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (66%). Greenwood, 10 miles north, has its own station (Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR): 47.4 inches a year, 5.9 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 28 | 3.4 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 56 | 31 | 3.2 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 64 | 39 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 67 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 60 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 30 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 48 | 53.3 | 70 | 2.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waldron, AR (716 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 Mansfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 92 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mansfield: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $757,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 25, 2015. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 13. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 56 have had fewer than Mansfield.
March 18, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mansfield — $500,000 damage.
May 25, 2015: thunderstorm wind in Mansfield — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A chicken house was severely damaged, and parts of a barn were blown onto Highway 80. Several tress and power lines were also damaged.”
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
Sebastian County, which includes Mansfield, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sebastian County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind 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 $58.4 million a year, the 6th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.4 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.
Cities near Mansfield
- Greenwood, AR10 mi
- Hackett, AR11 mi
- Waldron, AR12 mi
- Booneville, AR15 mi
- Cameron, OK18 mi
- Pocola, OK18 mi
- Barling, AR20 mi
- Lavaca, AR20 mi
- Charleston, AR21 mi
- Poteau, OK22 mi
- Fort Smith, AR22 mi
- Arkoma, OK23 mi
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