NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paragould, 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 Paragould, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
55 deaths in all
What the records show for Paragould
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Paragould; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Paragould begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 66 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Paragould has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 15, 1968, killed 35 people. Of the 126, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 63 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Paragould has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Paragould.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paragould
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 12 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 Paragould: 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 Paragould
By decade
- 2020s24(3 EF3+)
- 2010s21
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s27(4 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(3 EF3+)
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F4 | 16 mi | 20.9 mi | 35 / 364 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 15 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 19 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F4 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F4 | 15 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 10 mi | 77 mi | 2 / 177 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 4 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F3 | 2 mi | 3.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 24 mi | 39.7 mi | 1 / 57 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 16 mi | 24.18 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | EF3 | 9 mi | 12.53 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Paragould
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Paragould since 1962, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 15, 2022. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Paragould
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paragould 1S, AR, 2 miles south of Paragould at 270 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 28°F. April is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 44 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (46%). Brookland, 11 miles south, has its own station (Jonesboro 2 NE, AR): 52.1 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 28 | 3.9 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 50 | 31 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 70 | 49 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 68 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 39 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 32 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Year | 70 | 50 | 51.6 | 75 | 2.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paragould 1S, AR (270 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 Paragould
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paragould: 85 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 25, 2017. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 29. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 149 have had fewer than Paragould.
July 12, 2009: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Paragould — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike started a fire at the Martin Sprocket & Gear Incorporated Plant. The fire destroyed all the warehouses and ten percent of the plant received heavy smoke damage from the fire.”
November 8, 2000: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Paragould — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Several houses were damaged. A wooden monument built to honor World War I veterans was blown down.”
December 24, 2009: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Paragould — $206,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced flash flooding near Paragould. County Roads 920 and 853 were closed as a result.”
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 Paragould's ZIP code 72450 have filed 229 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $965,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1990, with 78. 7% 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, 92 have fewer than Paragould.
Greene County, which includes Paragould, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Greene County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.9 million a year, the 15th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (23%), 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 Paragould
- Marmaduke, AR10 mi
- Brookland, AR11 mi
- Lake City, AR17 mi
- Leachville, AR18 mi
- Rector, AR19 mi
- Bono, AR19 mi
- Senath, MO20 mi
- Jonesboro, AR20 mi
- Bay, AR22 mi
- Corning, AR24 mi
- Walnut Ridge, AR24 mi
- Manila, AR25 mi
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