NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mena, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mena, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Mena
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mena; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Mena begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 100% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mena. The highest rating among the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2009, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 55, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on November 3, 2024. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mena. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Mena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 62 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 Mena: 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 Mena
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s14
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s3
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF3 | in town | 14.84 mi | 3 / 30 |
| Jan 13, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2018 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2013 | EF2 | 14 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 30, 2013 | EF2 | 22 mi | 3.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF2 | 11 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 1, 2003 | F2 | 8 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1999 | F2 | 2 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 1993 | F2 | in town | 20 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 28, 1982 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 10 mi | 42 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Nov 15, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mena
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Mena since 1961, made on 87 separate days. Of these, 78 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 9, 2009. The most recent report is from April 5, 2025. April has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mena, AR, 4 miles west of Mena at 1,152 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 7.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 61.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 61.6 inches is more than at 94 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (99%). Waldron, 22 miles north, has its own station (Waldron, AR): 53.3 inches a year, 8.3 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 38 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 6.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 7.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 59 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 38 | 5.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 30 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Year | 70 | 48 | 61.6 | 79 | 4.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mena, AR (1,152 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 Mena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mena: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $969,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 14, 2016. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 28. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Mena.
August 4, 2011: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Mena — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two people were injured by lightning at the Mena airport. They were on a Tug towing an airplane at the time.”
July 14, 2016: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Mena — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on a truck and injured 1 person.”
July 21, 2009: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Mena — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A business was flooded and water entered approximately 10 houses. Flooding occurred on Arkansas Highway 375 west of Mena and Arkansas Highway 8.”
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 Mena's ZIP code 71953 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1998, and were paid $166,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% 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, 27 have fewer than Mena.
Polk County, which includes Mena, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.8 million a year, the 49th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (50%), 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 Mena
- Cove, AR17 mi
- Waldron, AR22 mi
- Heavener, OK29 mi
- Mansfield, AR32 mi
- Howe, OK35 mi
- Mount Ida, AR36 mi
- Booneville, AR38 mi
- De Queen, AR39 mi
- Poteau, OK39 mi
- Glenwood, AR40 mi
- Hackett, AR41 mi
- Wister, OK42 mi
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