NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Taylor, 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 Taylor, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Taylor
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Taylor; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Taylor begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. Of the 9 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Taylor has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 19, 1957, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 12, 1950, killed 18 people. Of the 105, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Taylor has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Taylor has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 213 Arkansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Taylor
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | overhead | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 14 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 Taylor: 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 Taylor
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s14
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 13 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Dec 19, 1957 | F4 | 21 mi | 17.7 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 17 mi | 9.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF3 | 24 mi | 9.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 18 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1985 | F3 | 10 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 25 mi | 61.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 111.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 23 mi | 86.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F2 | 20 mi | 58.4 mi | 5 / 10 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 52.93 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF2 | 10 mi | 10.79 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Taylor
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Taylor since 1961, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently January 21, 2017. The most recent report is from June 13, 2023. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Taylor
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lewisville, AR, 18 miles north of Taylor at 340 feet. July and August are the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 53.0 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 79 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 57 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.0 inches is more than at 59 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (62%). Springhill, LA, 8 miles south, has its own station (Benton 5E, LA): 54.0 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 33 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 60 | 36 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 70 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 63 | 3.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 52 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 42 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 76 | 52 | 53.0 | 68 | 1.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lewisville, AR (340 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 Taylor
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Taylor: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 14, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 20. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Taylor.
October 27, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Taylor — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 30 year old Shongaloo, Louisiana woman drowned during the evening of Tuesday, October 27th in Lake Erling, Arkansas. The woman attempted to go over the spillway on a futon mattress and was supposedly going to ride it on the flood waters running over the spillway.”
June 14, 2023: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Taylor — 1 killed.
April 15, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Taylor — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
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
Columbia County, which includes Taylor, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 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 Columbia County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.6 million a year, the 56th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (22%), 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 Taylor
- Springhill, LA8 mi
- Sarepta, LA13 mi
- Magnolia, AR18 mi
- Plain Dealing, LA18 mi
- Waldo, AR19 mi
- Haynesville, LA23 mi
- Fouke, AR25 mi
- Benton, LA31 mi
- Homer, LA34 mi
- Vivian, LA34 mi
- Minden, LA35 mi
- Princeton, LA35 mi
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