Bradley County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 269 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,971 nationally and #68 in Arkansas.
269
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
60
Direct injuries
$33.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Bradley County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bradley County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 241 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bradley County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bradley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 89 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Tornado | 21 | 7 | $28.2M | F4 | 1954–2015 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Bradley County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-03-28 | EF4 | 7 | 51 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 62.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-06-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-09 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 21.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-04-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bradley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1975 | Tornado | 7 | 51 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 24, 2007 | Tornado | INGALLS | 0 | 6 | $200K |
| Oct 9, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLOQUET | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Feb 23, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Feb 9, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One chicken house collapsed and three others were damaged. Many hundreds of chickens were killed. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, with some houses and outbuildings damaged by falling trees. A camping trailer tipped over against a power pole.
Widespread heavy rain flooded many roads. U.S. Highway 63 was flooded north of Warren. A swift water rescue was necessary on Bradley 22 near Warren. U.S. Highway 63 was flooded at its intersection with Arkansas Highway 160.
Within Bradley County, flooding of the Saline River damaged roads and impacted cabins and residences along the river. Major impacts were noted in the Longview community in southeastern Bradley County at the Arkansas Highway 8 bridge. As many as 25 structures were impacted by the high river stages.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,208
Population (ACS)
$95K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Apr 4, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bradley County, Arkansas?
269 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $33.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bradley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 42.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bradley County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bradley County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bradley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bradley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bradley County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bradley County, Arkansas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Boone County 467
- Calhoun County 279
- Benton County 1,224
- Carroll County 411
- Baxter County 558
- Chicot County 489
Cite this page
“Bradley County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/bradley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.