NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Prairie Grove, 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 Prairie Grove, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Prairie Grove
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Prairie Grove; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Prairie Grove begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 77% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Prairie Grove. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on March 30, 2022, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 109, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Prairie Grove has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 138 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Prairie Grove has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
Compare Prairie Grove's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Prairie Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | overhead | 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 Prairie Grove: 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 Prairie Grove
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 11 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 4 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 15 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 24 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 2 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 9 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 32.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 11.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF2 | 19 mi | 31.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Prairie Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 138 hail reports within 10 miles of Prairie Grove since 1957, made on 95 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently March 21, 1991. The most recent report is from September 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Prairie Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville Drake Field, AR, 10 miles northeast of Prairie Grove at 1,251 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.2 inches over 68 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 94 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.2 inches is more than at 6 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (6%). Fayetteville, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Fayetteville Exp Stn, AR): 46.3 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 25 | 2.8 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 52 | 29 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 36 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 35 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 50 | 28 | 3.1 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 47.2 | 68 | 6.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fayetteville Drake Field, AR (1,251 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 Prairie Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Prairie Grove: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $717,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 3, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 16 of 45. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 174 have had fewer than Prairie Grove.
April 25, 2011: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Prairie Grove — 1 killed.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall resulted in several roads in this area becoming flooded. A vehicle driven into rapidly flowing flood waters across Highway 265 between Hubbard Road and Onda Mountain Road stalled.”
April 29, 2017: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Prairie Grove — 1 killed.
NWS: “Many roads were flooded from Savoy to Prairie Grove to Farmington. A man was swept off off Highway 16 by flood waters, and was drowned.”
May 5, 2022: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Prairie Grove — 1 killed.
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
Washington County, which includes Prairie Grove, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $129.6 million a year, the 2nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $47.2 million (36%), is from heat waves.
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 Prairie Grove
- Lincoln, AR6 mi
- Farmington, AR7 mi
- West Fork, AR8 mi
- Fayetteville, AR13 mi
- Westville, OK15 mi
- Winslow, AR16 mi
- Siloam Springs, AR19 mi
- Springdale, AR19 mi
- Stilwell, OK21 mi
- Watts, OK21 mi
- Elkins, AR21 mi
- Cave Springs, AR22 mi
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