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North and Central Sebastian; Southern Crawford; Central and Southern Franklin; Washington; Nowata; Tulsa; Rogers; Mayes; Okmulgee; Wagoner; Muskogee; McIntosh; Southeast Osage
Heat Advisory
North and Central Sebastian; Southern Crawford; Central and Southern Franklin; Washington; Nowata; Tulsa; Rogers; Mayes; Okmulgee; Wagoner; Muskogee; McIntosh; Southeast Osage
Crawford County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 788 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #302 nationally and #10 in Arkansas.
788
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
102
Direct injuries
$182.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Crawford County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Crawford County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 10.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 216 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 74 events fall before 1990 and 714 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Crawford County, Arkansas record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $176.1M 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 Crawford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 321 | 0 | $2.5M | 74 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 310 | 0 | $2.0M | 4.5 | 1966–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 79 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 42 | 0 | $176.1M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 31 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
Decade by decade
Crawford County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-04-21 | EF3 | 2 | 89 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 13.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 40.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Crawford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2015 | Flood | RUDY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 1996 | Tornado | VAN BUREN | 0 | 49 | $150.0M |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 23 | $250K | |
| Apr 13, 2018 | Tornado | RUDY | 0 | 4 | $600K |
| Mar 15, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Feb 21, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | VAN BUREN | 0 | 3 | $170K |
| Apr 14, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Dec 1, 2018 | Tornado | VAN BUREN | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the fourth segment of a four segment tornado. After moving back into Crawford County, the tornado removed a large portion of the roof of the Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren. Numerous homes and businesses were also damaged in Van Buren, and numerous power poles and trees were snapped by the tornado. This very large tornado then moved northeast across portions of Rudy and Alma, and then dissipated southeast of Mountainburg. Many trees were snapped or uprooted, outbuildings were destroyed, homes and businesses were damaged, and numerous power poles were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph.
This tornado developed north of I-40 and just west of Lee Creek Road where homes sustained minor roof damage, trees were uprooted, and the roofs of several apartment complexes were damaged. The tornado moved northeast across Rena Road, damaging numerous homes, some severely, snapping three large wooden utility structures, and snapping and uprooting numerous trees. The tornado then crossed Uniontown Road and Fayetteville Road near Rena, and dissipated as it approached N Rudy Road. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 110 to 120 mph.
There were several reports of extremely large hail from Alma. The largest report was of giant softball-sized hail, while there were also reports of quarter and golfball-sized hail just north of Alma.Such enormous hail caused widespread damage in Alma. Many cars sustained windshield and body damage. Just one auto body shop reported that it had written estimates from hail damage totaling $140,000. Many roofs also sustained major damage. At the Eagle Crest Golf Course, the hail left small craters on the greens, closing the course for several days while the crater marks were filled. A photo in the Alma Journal newspaper showed a softball-sized pock mark on the golf greens.A child was treated for injuries at a local hospital after being struck by the hail.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
61,139
Population (ACS)
$183K
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 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 8, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Van Buren 268
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Crawford County, Arkansas?
788 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $182.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Crawford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 321 recorded events — 40.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Crawford County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Crawford County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Crawford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Crawford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Crawford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Crawford 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
- Craighead County 646
- Crittenden County 319
- Conway County 547
- Cross County 198
- Columbia County 464
- Dallas County 321
Cite this page
“Crawford County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/crawford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.