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Faulkner County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 825 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #269 nationally and #8 in Arkansas.
825
Recorded events
30
Direct deaths
538
Direct injuries
$316.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Faulkner County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Faulkner County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 11.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 219 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 117 events fall before 1990 and 708 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Faulkner County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 27 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $302.1M 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 Faulkner County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 359 | 1 | $3.5M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 266 | 0 | $10K | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 83 | 1 | $1.6M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 62 | 27 | $302.1M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $8.8M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 1 | $172K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2017 |
Decade by decade
Faulkner County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
62 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-27 | EF4 | 16 | 193 | 41.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-10 | EF4 | 6 | 200 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 2 | 37 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-12-18 | EF3 | 1 | 13 | 9.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 10 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-24 | EF3 | 1 | 7 | 16.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-06 | EF3 | 1 | 30 | 26.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-03-14 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-13 | EF3 | 1 | 18 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 34.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Faulkner County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2014 | Tornado | PALARM | 12 | 167 | $210.0M |
| Apr 11, 1965 | Tornado | 6 | 200 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 26, 2011 | Tornado | MAYFLOWER | 4 | 15 | $52.0M |
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 2 | 37 | $2.5M | |
| May 13, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 18 | $250K | |
| Dec 18, 2002 | Tornado | HAMLET | 1 | 13 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | PICKLES GAP | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At 1:08 AM CDT, water was approaching the doorstep of houses in Mayflower. Around 1:20 AM CDT, an SUV went into flood waters on North Main St. in Mayflower and ended up in a ditch. The water was rising so rapidly that the vehicle was completely submerged by the time rescuers arrived. The 57 year-old driver of the SUV drowned. At 12:08 AM CDT, Numerous roads flooded around Vilonia; swift-water rescues became necessary by 1:00 AM CDT. A total of 29 people had to be evacuated from the Vilonia and Mayflower areas.
A 59-year old man, who was fishing from a 14-foot boat on Beaverfork Lake, drowned when a severe thunderstorm capsized the boat. The investigative report from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission indicated the primary cause of the accident was Weather – Failure to recognize unsafe conditions for the vessel type and a secondary cause of Hazardous Water. The report also indicated that winds were 60 to 70 mph, waves were over 2 feet, and the boater was not wearing a personal flotation device.
A strong tornado was spawned over Faulkner County about 1 mile north of Hamlet. The tornado moved to the northeast for approximately 9.8 miles before lifting 0.8 mile east-southeast of Enola. A number of homes, both permanent and mobile, were either damaged or destroyed along the path of the tornado. An 84 year-old woman was killed when her mobile home was destroyed. 13 others sustained injuries. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A power substation was also damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
127,717
Population (ACS)
$233K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Nov 14, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Conway 206
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Faulkner County, Arkansas?
825 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 30 direct deaths and $316.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Faulkner County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 359 recorded events — 43.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Faulkner County?
62 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 Faulkner County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Faulkner County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Faulkner County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Faulkner County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Faulkner 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
- Drew County 367
- Franklin County 698
- Desha County 267
- Fulton County 308
- Dallas County 321
- Garland County 818
Cite this page
“Faulkner County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/faulkner-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.