NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pottsville, 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 Pottsville, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Pottsville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pottsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Pottsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pottsville. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on February 5, 2008; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 13 people. Of the 92, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2023. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pottsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 124 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Pottsville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pottsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pottsville: 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 Pottsville
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s13(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23(4 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 5 mi | 121.84 mi | 13 / 139 |
| Apr 30, 2010 | EF3 | 20 mi | 20.28 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 25 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 14, 1956 | F3 | 5 mi | 33 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 18 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 9 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 23, 1971 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 12 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jan 8, 2008 | EF2 | 9 mi | 20.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 28, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pottsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 124 hail reports within 10 miles of Pottsville since 1956, made on 89 separate days. Of these, 81 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 25, 2023. The most recent report is from May 7, 2025. April has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pottsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Russellville Municipal Airport, AR, 4 miles northwest of Pottsville at 403 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 30°F. April is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. That 46.6 inches is more than at 5 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (5%). Dardanelle, 8 miles west, has its own station (Dardanelle, AR): 49.6 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 30 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 4.8 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 59 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 52 | 32 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 46.6 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Russellville Municipal Airport, AR (403 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 Pottsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 252 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pottsville: 193 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 14 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 12, 2009. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Pottsville.
December 23, 2015: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Pottsville — 1 killed, $40,000 damage.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Pottsville — 1 killed.
May 15, 2022: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pottsville — 2 injured.
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
Pope County, which includes Pottsville, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pope County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $38.7 million a year, the 13th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.6 million (43%), 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 Pottsville
- Russellville, AR7 mi
- Atkins, AR8 mi
- Dardanelle, AR8 mi
- Dover, AR17 mi
- Morrilton, AR17 mi
- London, AR17 mi
- Ola, AR19 mi
- Hector, AR21 mi
- Perryville, AR21 mi
- Belleville, AR23 mi
- Plumerville, AR24 mi
- Lamar, AR25 mi
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