NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Newark, 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 Newark, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
63 deaths in all
What the records show for Newark
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Newark; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Newark begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Newark. The highest rating among the 111 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 15, 1968, killed 35 people. Of the 111, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Newark has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1955, with stones up to 5 inches. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Newark.
Compare Newark's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Newark
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Newark: 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 Newark
By decade
- 2020s8(2 EF3+)
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18
- 1990s29(3 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F4 | 14 mi | 20.9 mi | 35 / 364 |
| May 15, 1968 | F4 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 7 / 24 |
| Mar 15, 1984 | F4 | 21 mi | 26 mi | 5 / 12 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 25 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Mar 15, 1984 | F4 | 11 mi | 41 mi | 2 / 13 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 9 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 18 mi | 80.97 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1955 | F3 | 1 mi | 36.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 2, 1950 | F3 | 12 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 30, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 3 mi | 31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 8 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Newark
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Newark since 1955, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on January 21, 1999. The most recent report is from November 21, 2021. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Newark
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Newport, AR, 12 miles southeast of Newark at 228 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.3 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.3 inches is more than at 40 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (42%). Batesville, 13 miles west, has its own station (Batesville L&D 1, AR): 50.9 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 30 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 51 | 33 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 41 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 70 | 51 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 60 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 69 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 50 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 40 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 69 | 51 | 51.3 | 74 | 2.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Newport, AR (228 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 Newark
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Newark: 85 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 10 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $8.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 19, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 10. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 30 have had fewer than Newark.
February 22, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Newark — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 76 year old man passed away after driving into a flooded road along Highway 37 driving from Jackson County towards Independence County. It appeared as though the driver went around four barricades in place for flooding along the highway near Elgin before driving into flood waters.”
March 19, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Newark — $5.3 million damage.
July 1, 2014: flood 7 miles from the centre of Newark — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Due to excessive rain on the morning of June 29th, some roads and fields remained flooded into July.”
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
Independence County, which includes Newark, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on May 8, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Independence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.3 million a year, the 18th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 million (29%), 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 Newark
- Batesville, AR13 mi
- Newport, AR14 mi
- Cave City, AR17 mi
- Bradford, AR18 mi
- Bald Knob, AR29 mi
- Pangburn, AR30 mi
- Judsonia, AR31 mi
- Hoxie, AR32 mi
- Augusta, AR33 mi
- Melbourne, AR35 mi
- Walnut Ridge, AR36 mi
- Kensett, AR37 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Newark with another place →