NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mountainburg, 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 Mountainburg, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Mountainburg
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mountainburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Mountainburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mountainburg. The strongest of the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1960; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 107, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Mountainburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1966, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Mountainburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Mountainburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mountainburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 21 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 Mountainburg: 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 Mountainburg
By decade
- 2020s29
- 2010s25
- 2000s12
- 1990s15(3 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 24 mi | 5.4 mi | 5 / 13 |
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.1 mi | 2 / 89 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 17 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1960 | F3 | 10 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 11 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 23, 1953 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF2 | 22 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 11.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2018 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mountainburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Mountainburg since 1966, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 7, 1984. The most recent report is from September 17, 2025. April has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mountainburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mountainburg 2 NE, AR, in Mountainburg at 793 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.6 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.6 inches is more than at 67 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (71%). Van Buren, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR): 47.4 inches a year, 6.2 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 | 49 | 26 | 3.3 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 29 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 63 | 37 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 6.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 66 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 58 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 47 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 36 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 29 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 47 | 53.6 | 72 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mountainburg 2 NE, AR (793 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 Mountainburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mountainburg: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $671,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 9, 2006. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Mountainburg.
October 10, 2014: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Mountainburg — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
April 25, 2011: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Mountainburg — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Several county roads were washed out by flood water and some small bridges between Chester and Winslow were also washed out.”
August 9, 2019: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Mountainburg — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Ash Street bridge in Mountainburg was washed out by flood water.”
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
Crawford County, which includes Mountainburg, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 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 Crawford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.9 million a year, the 16th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.3 million (45%), 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 Mountainburg
- Mulberry, AR10 mi
- Winslow, AR10 mi
- Rudy, AR11 mi
- Alma, AR12 mi
- Van Buren, AR17 mi
- West Fork, AR17 mi
- Ozark, AR20 mi
- Lavaca, AR21 mi
- Prairie Grove, AR23 mi
- Barling, AR24 mi
- Charleston, AR24 mi
- Fort Smith, AR24 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Mountainburg with another place →