NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mountain Home, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mountain Home, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Mountain Home
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mountain Home; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Mountain Home begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 11 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Mountain Home has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The strongest of the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 2, 1982; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 26, 2024, killed 4 people. Of the 76, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mountain Home. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 168 times since 1963, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Mountain Home has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mountain Home
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 59 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 Mountain Home: 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 Mountain Home
By decade
- 2020s6(3 EF3+)
- 2010s6
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s9(3 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 18 mi | 20 mi | 2 / 28 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 19 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 11 mi | 35.52 mi | 3 / 4 |
| Nov 18, 1985 | F3 | 2 mi | 34 mi | 3 / 16 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 4 mi | 7.3 mi | 3 / 25 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 14.2 mi | 3 / 9 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 3 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F3 | in town | 23.6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | in town | 43.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 5 mi | 12.5 mi | 1 / 36 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mountain Home
The Storm Prediction Center has 168 hail reports within 10 miles of Mountain Home since 1963, made on 112 separate days. Of these, 106 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mountain Home
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mountain Home 1 NNW, AR, 2 miles northwest of Mountain Home at 800 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 85 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.0 inches is more than at 34 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (36%). Gassville, 7 miles west, has its own station (Mountain Home Baxter Airport, AR): 41.3 inches a year, 9.7 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 3.3 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 3.3 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 5.0 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 29 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 51.0 | 75 | 7.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mountain Home 1 NNW, AR (800 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 Mountain Home
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 201 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mountain Home: 169 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $7.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 13, 2018. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 14. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 63 have had fewer than Mountain Home.
June 23, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mountain Home — 1 killed.
NWS: “ONE FATAL, and this is a delayed report. A man was in Lake Norfork when thunderstorm winds overturned his kayak.”
August 10, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mountain Home — 1 injured.
January 3, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Mountain Home — 1 injured.
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 Mountain Home's ZIP code 72653 have filed 54 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $672,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 16. 19% 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, 64 have fewer than Mountain Home.
Baxter County, which includes Mountain Home, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Baxter County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes 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 $21.0 million a year, the 21st highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.1 million (34%), 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 Mountain Home
- Gassville, AR7 mi
- Flippin, AR13 mi
- Calico Rock, AR17 mi
- Yellville, AR19 mi
- Gainesville, MO20 mi
- Salem, AR29 mi
- Melbourne, AR31 mi
- Lead Hill, AR32 mi
- Marshall, AR34 mi
- Horseshoe Bend, AR35 mi
- Mountain View, AR35 mi
- West Plains, MO38 mi
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