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Craighead County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 646 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #480 nationally and #13 in Arkansas.
646
Recorded events
42
Direct deaths
654
Direct injuries
$346.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Craighead County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Craighead County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 169 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 111 events fall before 1990 and 535 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Craighead County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 38 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $338.2M 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 Craighead County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 300 | 1 | $2.7M | 96 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 194 | 0 | $172K | 4 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 3 | $4.5M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 54 | 38 | $338.2M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $421K | 0 | 2001–2019 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $86K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2017–2019 |
Decade by decade
Craighead County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-15 | EF4 | 35 | 364 | 20.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 8 | 14 | 81.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF4 | 3 | 289 | 54.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 1 | 57 | 39.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 24.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 49.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Craighead County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1968 | Tornado | 34 | 350 | $25K | |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 3 | 257 | $25K | |
| May 24, 2009 | Flash Flood | GREENSBORO | 2 | 0 | $25K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | NEEDHAM | 1 | 5 | $2.5M |
| Jun 5, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | BONO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2009 | Flash Flood | JONESBORO | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Tornado | JONESBORO | 0 | 22 | $300.0M |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Tornado | DAVIS | 0 | 8 | $4.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across Northern Craighead County in Eastern Arkansas. County roads 785, 791 and 792 along with Highway 49 were flooded. A sport utility vehicle was pulling into a flooded driveway off county road 785, which had a bridge over a creek, and was swept downstream. At least 2 feet of water covered the bridge. The SUV was swept 100 yards downstream. A portion of the bridge was washed out. Two people inside the SUV were killed.
The tornado produced its first damage north of Bay, damaging storage and outbuildings. The tornado gradually strengthened and destroyed a farm tractor storage building along Highway 135 northwest of Lake City. The tornado possibly weakened slightly as it crossed the St. Francis River area, but re-strengthened as it approached Monette. Northern and northwestern portions of Monette suffered significant damage. Homes and retail facilities had their roofs partially or completely removed, and the roof of a nursing home partially collapsed. One fatality and at least 5 injuries occurred in the nursing home. After leaving Monette the tornado crossed into Mississippi County. Peak winds were estimated at 145 mph in Craighead County.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in northern parts of Jonesboro in Eastern Arkansas. A boy was swept into a drainage ditch near Burke Avenue and Vine Street and was killed. Several homes were flooded along Burke Avenue and North Patrick Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
113,249
Population (ACS)
$210K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 21, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Dec 23, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| May 8, 2020 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Jonesboro 214
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Craighead County, Arkansas?
646 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 42 direct deaths and $346.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Craighead County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 300 recorded events — 46.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Craighead County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 51 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Craighead County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Craighead County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Craighead County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Craighead County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Craighead 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
- Conway County 547
- Crawford County 788
- Columbia County 464
- Crittenden County 319
- Cleveland County 269
- Cross County 198
Cite this page
“Craighead County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/craighead-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.