NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waldo, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waldo, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
21 deaths in all
What the records show for Waldo
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waldo; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Waldo begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. Of the 8 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Waldo has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 68% of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 19, 1957, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 12, 1950, killed 18 people. Of the 72, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on April 4, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Waldo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Waldo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waldo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 25 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 8 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 Waldo: 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 Waldo
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s9
- 2000s12
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s8
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 24 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Dec 19, 1957 | F4 | 4 mi | 17.7 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 4 mi | 9.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 8 mi | 111.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 13 mi | 86.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 14.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F2 | 12 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1994 | F2 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 26.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1981 | F2 | 6 mi | 14.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waldo
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Waldo since 1971, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 15, 2023. The most recent report is from December 28, 2024. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waldo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Magnolia, AR, 10 miles southeast of Waldo at 372 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 31°F. March is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.3 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 58 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.3 inches is more than at 77 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (81%). Taylor, 19 miles southwest, has its own station (Lewisville, AR): 53.0 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 31 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 59 | 34 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 68 | 41 | 6.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 75 | 49 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 59 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 70 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 69 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 62 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 50 | 5.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 33 | 5.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 75 | 50 | 56.3 | 70 | 1.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Magnolia, AR (372 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 Waldo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waldo: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 112 mph, on April 26, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 26. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Waldo.
August 21, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Waldo — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
June 2, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Waldo — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
October 29, 2009: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Waldo — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were closed in town and across the county from excessive heavy rainfall. Just some of the roads closed throughout the county included County Roads 7, 31, 38, 47, 60, 72, 204, 246 and 400.”
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 Waldo, 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 Waldo
- Magnolia, AR9 mi
- Taylor, AR19 mi
- Springhill, LA26 mi
- Hope, AR27 mi
- Haynesville, LA30 mi
- Sarepta, LA30 mi
- Fouke, AR32 mi
- Prescott, AR32 mi
- Camden, AR33 mi
- Smackover, AR33 mi
- Junction City, AR37 mi
- Plain Dealing, LA37 mi
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