NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Walnut Ridge, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
47 deaths in all
What the records show for Walnut Ridge
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Walnut Ridge; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Walnut Ridge begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 5 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 213 Arkansas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Walnut Ridge. The highest rating among the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 26, 1973, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 15, 1968, killed 35 people. Of the 99, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Walnut Ridge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 213 Arkansas cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Walnut Ridge.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Walnut Ridge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Walnut Ridge: 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 Walnut Ridge
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s27(5 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F4 | 21 mi | 20.9 mi | 35 / 364 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 22 mi | 54.8 mi | 3 / 289 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 13 mi | 80.97 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 10 mi | 77 mi | 2 / 177 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 9 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | EF3 | 23 mi | 12.53 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | F3 | 12 mi | 31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 13 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 5, 1996 | F3 | 12 mi | 46.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1984 | F3 | 23 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Walnut Ridge
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Walnut Ridge since 1962, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 9, 2015. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Walnut Ridge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alicia 2NNE, AR, 11 miles southwest of Walnut Ridge at 258 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. April is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.4 inches is more than at 8 of the 95 Arkansas stations used on this site (8%). Bono, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Jonesboro 2 NE, AR): 52.1 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.4 | 5 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 3.3 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 39 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 69 | 49 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 59 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 69 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 72 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 69 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 61 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 47 | 32 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 68 | 50 | 47.4 | 67 | 3.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alicia 2NNE, AR (258 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 Walnut Ridge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 167 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Walnut Ridge: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 67 floods, 17 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 4, 2021. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 17. Of the 212 Arkansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 98 have had fewer than Walnut Ridge.
May 1, 2017: flood 10 miles from the centre of Walnut Ridge — $5.0 million damage.
May 3, 2017: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Walnut Ridge — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Black River levee east of Pocahontas suffered several breaches during the early morning hours of May 3rd. The water flowed south along the Big Running Water Creek and eventually flooded parts of Lawrence County.”
April 28, 2014: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Walnut Ridge — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain flooded several roadways in the Walnut Ridge area. Several county roads were washed out.”
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 Walnut Ridge's ZIP code 72476 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $380,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 62% 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, 13 have fewer than Walnut Ridge.
Lawrence County, which includes Walnut Ridge, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.0 million a year, the 26th highest of 75 Arkansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (26%), 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 Walnut Ridge
- Hoxie, AR3 mi
- Bono, AR13 mi
- Imboden, AR16 mi
- Pocahontas, AR17 mi
- Jonesboro, AR22 mi
- Brookland, AR23 mi
- Paragould, AR24 mi
- Bay, AR31 mi
- Corning, AR32 mi
- Marmaduke, AR32 mi
- Lake City, AR33 mi
- Cave City, AR34 mi
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