NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Omaha, 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 Omaha, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Omaha
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Omaha; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Omaha begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Omaha. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 26, 2024, came within 19 miles. Of the 68, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Omaha. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1987, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Omaha has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Omaha
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 13 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 Omaha: 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 Omaha
By decade
- 2020s13(1 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s11
- 1990s6
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 19 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 14 mi | 7.8 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 15 mi | 24.29 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Mar 21, 1991 | F2 | 22 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F2 | 25 mi | 34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 13, 1973 | F2 | 12 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 16 mi | 16.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 4 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 4, 1955 | F2 | 14 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Omaha
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Omaha since 1987, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 11, 2017. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Omaha
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Harrison Boone Co Airport, AR, 11 miles south of Omaha at 1,374 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. April is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. That 44.6 inches is more than at 1 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (1%). Hollister, MO, 12 miles north, has its own station (Ozark Beach, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 70 | 47 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 44.6 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Harrison Boone Co Airport, AR (1,374 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 Omaha
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 58 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Omaha: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $7.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 2, 2015. October has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 17 have had fewer than Omaha.
June 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Omaha — 4 injured, $100,000 damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 5 miles from the centre of Omaha — $4.3 million damage.
NWS: “Some of the campsites around Bull Shoals Lake were closed due to flooding.”
March 18, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Omaha — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads and low water bridges were flooded across the county. Crooked Creek overflowed onto Arkansas Highway 7.”
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
Boone County, which includes Omaha, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Boone 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 $21.5 million a year, the 20th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 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.
Cities near Omaha
- Hollister, MO12 mi
- Kirbyville, MO13 mi
- Green Forest, AR13 mi
- Harrison, AR14 mi
- Lead Hill, AR15 mi
- Branson, MO15 mi
- Kimberling City, MO19 mi
- Forsyth, MO20 mi
- Branson West, MO21 mi
- Berryville, AR21 mi
- Shell Knob, MO24 mi
- Galena, MO29 mi
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