NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vilonia, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Vilonia, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 179 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 26 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 179
- EF3 or stronger
- 26
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
65 deaths in all
What the records show for Vilonia
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vilonia; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Vilonia begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Vilonia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 179 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2014, came within 3 miles. Of the 179, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 93 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2025. Vilonia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 213 Arkansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1955, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Vilonia.
Compare Vilonia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vilonia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 24 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Vilonia: 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 Vilonia
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s58(4 EF3+)
- 1990s24(4 EF3+)
- 1980s15(6 EF3+)
- 1970s22(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF4 | 3 mi | 41.1 mi | 16 / 193 |
| Apr 10, 1965 | F4 | 10 mi | 4.7 mi | 6 / 200 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 24 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 180 |
| May 2, 2008 | EF3 | 24 mi | 45.3 mi | 5 / 24 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 17.2 mi | 5 / 64 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 20 mi | 39 mi | 3 / 72 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 29 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 53 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 9 mi | 3.5 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F3 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 18, 2002 | F3 | 4 mi | 9.8 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 23 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 179, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vilonia
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Vilonia since 1955, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on January 21, 1999. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. March has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vilonia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenbrier, AR, 13 miles northwest of Vilonia at 338 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 50.7 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 63 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 88 nights a year. That 50.7 inches is more than at 29 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (31%). Conway, 12 miles west, has its own station (Conway, AR): 51.2 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 56 | 30 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Mar | 63 | 38 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 46 | 5.5 | 6 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 65 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 69 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 92 | 67 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 85 | 59 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 46 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 37 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Year | 72 | 47 | 50.7 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenbrier, AR (338 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 Vilonia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vilonia: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 5 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 12, 2009. February has had the most flash floods, 4 of 19. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 104 have had fewer than Vilonia.
December 24, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Vilonia — 1 injured, $2.0 million damage.
July 4, 2017: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Vilonia — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 38 year old male was struck by lightning when he ran out to grab a hammock.”
June 12, 2009: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Vilonia — $1.5 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Vilonia's ZIP code 72173 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2009, and were paid $163,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 73% 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, 6 have fewer than Vilonia.
Faulkner County, which includes Vilonia, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 tornadoes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on November 14, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Faulkner County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, 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 $74.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.0 million (31%), is from tornadoes.
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 Vilonia
- Conway, AR12 mi
- Greenbrier, AR13 mi
- Cabot, AR14 mi
- Mayflower, AR15 mi
- Romance, AR15 mi
- Austin, AR15 mi
- Jacksonville, AR16 mi
- Sherwood, AR17 mi
- Beebe, AR18 mi
- Ward, AR18 mi
- Rose Bud, AR19 mi
- Maumelle, AR20 mi
All Arkansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Vilonia with another place →