NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Morrilton, 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 Morrilton, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
54 deaths in all
What the records show for Morrilton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Morrilton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Morrilton begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 54 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Morrilton. The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 24 miles. Of the 124, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Morrilton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 125 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Morrilton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Morrilton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Morrilton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Morrilton: 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 Morrilton
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s18(2 EF3+)
- 2000s38(6 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8(2 EF3+)
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 24 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 9 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| Apr 10, 1965 | F4 | 19 mi | 4.7 mi | 6 / 200 |
| May 2, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 45.3 mi | 5 / 24 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.5 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Apr 30, 2010 | EF3 | 18 mi | 20.28 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 3 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 12 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 6, 1960 | F3 | 9 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 30 |
| May 13, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.5 mi | 1 / 18 |
| Feb 14, 1956 | F3 | 7 mi | 33 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Morrilton
The Storm Prediction Center has 125 hail reports within 10 miles of Morrilton since 1960, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 70 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 5, 1996. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Morrilton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Morrilton, AR, in Morrilton at 340 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.2 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 70 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.2 inches is more than at 38 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (40%). Plumerville, 8 miles east, has its own station (Conway, AR): 51.2 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 29 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 55 | 32 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 64 | 40 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 69 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 61 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 49 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 49 | 51.2 | 71 | 2.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Morrilton, AR (340 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 Morrilton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 251 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Morrilton: 129 thunderstorm wind reports, 76 floods, 21 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events and 10 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $8.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 21, 2018. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 21. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Morrilton.
March 20, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Morrilton — 1 injured, $400,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm moved through the east side of Morrilton. The roof of a packaging company was badly damaged.”
August 12, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Morrilton — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man was injured by lightning on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. His injuries were not believed to be serious.”
May 24, 2019: flood 2 miles from the centre of Morrilton — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “River flooding began on the Arkansas River at Morrilton May 24 and continued through the end of the month. The river had a record crest in June.”
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 Morrilton's ZIP code 72110 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $180,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 16% 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, 25 have fewer than Morrilton.
Conway County, which includes Morrilton, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Conway County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.4 million a year, the 37th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (30%), 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.