NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Murfreesboro, 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 Murfreesboro, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Murfreesboro
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Murfreesboro; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Murfreesboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Murfreesboro has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1982, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 7 people. Of the 77, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2023. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Murfreesboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 97 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Murfreesboro has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Murfreesboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Murfreesboro: 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 Murfreesboro
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s13
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 17 mi | 13 mi | 7 / 9 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 16 mi | 45 mi | 3 / 23 |
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF3 | 12 mi | 37.18 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 5, 1999 | F3 | 8 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1996 | F3 | 22 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 1982 | F3 | 14 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 29 |
| May 10, 1971 | F3 | 23 mi | 20.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.7 mi | 2 / 8 |
| Mar 2, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 8 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 10 mi | 8.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2018 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Murfreesboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 97 hail reports within 10 miles of Murfreesboro since 1955, made on 76 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 5, 1999. The most recent report is from June 13, 2023. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Murfreesboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Murfreesboro 1W, AR, 3 miles south of Murfreesboro at 460 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 6.4 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 58.4 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 58.4 inches is more than at 91 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (96%). Nashville, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Nashville, AR): 54.9 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 64 | 39 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 6.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 67 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 60 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 38 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 54 | 31 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 48 | 58.4 | 75 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Murfreesboro 1W, AR (460 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 Murfreesboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Murfreesboro: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 2, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 56 have had fewer than Murfreesboro.
March 2, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Murfreesboro — $6.0 million damage.
July 9, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Murfreesboro — $100,000 damage.
April 8, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Murfreesboro — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Most major streets in Murfreesboro were flooded. Several highways in the southern portion of the county were under 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
Pike County, which includes Murfreesboro, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pike County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.6 million a year, the 65th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (55%), 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 Murfreesboro
- Nashville, AR13 mi
- Glenwood, AR15 mi
- Amity, AR17 mi
- Lockesburg, AR28 mi
- Prescott, AR29 mi
- Bismarck, AR31 mi
- Mount Ida, AR32 mi
- Hope, AR32 mi
- Pearcy, AR33 mi
- Gurdon, AR35 mi
- Arkadelphia, AR37 mi
- De Queen, AR37 mi
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