NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Scott, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Scott, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 181 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 181
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
67 deaths in all
What the records show for Scott
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Scott; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Scott begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 31 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Scott has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 181 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 25 miles. Of the 181, 20 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 53. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2025. Scott has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Scott.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Scott
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 19 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Scott: 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 Scott
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s35(1 EF3+)
- 2000s40
- 1990s27(3 EF3+)
- 1980s21(2 EF3+)
- 1970s24(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 25 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 16 mi | 14 mi | 10 / 40 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 8 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 7.6 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 19 mi | 16.2 mi | 9 / 9 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 12 mi | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F3 | 23 mi | 16.5 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F3 | 13 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 12 mi | 34.23 mi | 0 / 54 |
| Apr 12, 1966 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 181, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Scott
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Scott since 1956, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 30, 2009. The most recent report is from May 24, 2022. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Scott
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Keo, AR, 8 miles southeast of Scott at 231 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 31°F. April and December are the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 49 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.6 inches is more than at 27 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (28%). Lonoke, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Cabot, AR): 53.5 inches a year, 2.9 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 31 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 54 | 34 | 4.0 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 63 | 42 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 51 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 41 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 34 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 51 | 50.6 | 70 | 3.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Keo, AR (231 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 Scott
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 131 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Scott: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 heavy rain events, 10 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on July 22, 2005. April 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 Scott.
February 19, 2019: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Scott — 1 injured.
August 7, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Scott — $500,000 damage.
October 29, 2009: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Scott — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous water rescues occurred across Little Rock including one at the intersection of Markham Street and Fair Park Boulevard. A dinner theater had to halt its performance due to flooding.”
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 Scott's ZIP code 72142 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $607,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 103 Arkansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 12 have fewer than Scott.
Lonoke County, which includes Scott, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 tornadoes, 4 floods, 4 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lonoke County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.1 million a year, the 10th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.3 million (37%), 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 Scott
- Lonoke, AR12 mi
- North Little Rock, AR12 mi
- Jacksonville, AR13 mi
- England, AR14 mi
- Sherwood, AR14 mi
- Little Rock, AR17 mi
- Hensley, AR17 mi
- Redfield, AR18 mi
- Mabelvale, AR18 mi
- Cabot, AR19 mi
- Carlisle, AR20 mi
- Benton, AR20 mi
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