Dallas County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 321 recorded events between 1967 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,660 nationally and #62 in Arkansas.
321
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$10.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Dallas County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dallas County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 292 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dallas County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dallas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 179 | 0 | $854K | 78 | 1974–2025 |
| Hail | 73 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1982–2021 |
| Tornado | 28 | 1 | $5.3M | F3 | 1967–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2009–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2013 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2006–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Dallas County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-14 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-01-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dallas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 1990 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 13, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | FORDYCE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 7, 2008 | Flash Flood | ROUND HILL | 0 | 1 | $200K |
| Jul 17, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado exited Calhoun County north-northwest of Thornton and entered Dallas County west-southwest of Beech Grove. Soon after entering the county, the tornado increased to EF2 intensity. The clubhouse at the Fordyce Country Club was badly damaged and the bathhouse was blown into the swimming pool. The tornado then knocked down two large, steel power transmission towers, causing the transmission lines to fall across Arkansas 273, where a motorist ran into them. Next, the tornado tracked through the northern side of Fordyce, where the damage was the most extensive. A damage survey by the American Red Cross indicated 11 single family dwellings (including 3 mobile homes) were destroyed, 6 had major damage, and 5 had minor damage. In addition to the structural damage, hundreds of trees and many power lines were blown down. The tornado exited Dallas County north of the Fordyce airport and entered Cleveland County west-northwest of Kingsland.
Widespread areal flooding occurred in Dallas County. Arkansas Highway 8 was closed between Princeton and Dalark. Arkansas Highway 48 was closed between Farindale and Carthage, and Arkansas Highway 229 was closed near Carthage. Arkansas Highway 273 was also closed. A bridge was washed out on Dallas County 302 at Wave. Many roads around Sparkman were heavily damaged. Many other county roads had washouts around culverts.
Arkansas Highway 9 was closed west of Princeton, as was Arkansas Highway 48 between Carthage and Tulip. Arkansas Highway 8 was flooded west of Fordyce. Numerous county roads were flooded. Quite a few roads and culverts were washed out. Some roads were also impassable around Willow, Round Hill, and Pine Grove. The worst of the damage was in the western half of the county, according to the county judge. The Fordyce schools were closed on October 30th because of flooded bus routes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,242
Population (ACS)
$97K
Median home value
22
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 |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dallas County, Arkansas?
321 events are on record between 1967 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $10.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dallas County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 179 recorded events — 55.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dallas County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dallas County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dallas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dallas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dallas County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dallas 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
- Cross County 198
- Desha County 267
- Crittenden County 319
- Drew County 367
- Crawford County 788
- Faulkner County 825
Cite this page
“Dallas County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/dallas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.