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Independence County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 559 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #695 nationally and #21 in Arkansas.
559
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
56
Direct injuries
$93.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Independence County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Independence County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 184 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 476 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Independence County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $61.9M 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 Independence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 223 | 0 | $4.4M | 83 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 174 | 0 | $0 | 5 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 60 | 1 | $2.5M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 42 | 8 | $61.9M | F4 | 1952–2014 |
| Flood | 32 | 0 | $23.7M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $815K | 0 | 1996–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
Decade by decade
Independence County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 6 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 | 7 | 24 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-15 | EF4 | 2 | 13 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 18.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 0 | 81.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 36.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 2 | 30 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Independence County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1968 | Tornado | 7 | 24 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 15, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 30, 2009 | Flash Flood | NEW HOPE | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Apr 19, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 21, 1999 | Tornado | OIL TROUGH | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Tornado | BATESVILLE | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 8, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | RAMSEY HILL | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three hangars were destroyed and a couple of others were damaged by flying debris. Part of one hangar ended up in U.S. 167 adjacent to the airport, closing the highway until the debris could be removed. Additional debris ended up against a business and a truck across U.S. 167 from the airport. Four airplanes were damaged or destroyed. Power poles were blown down.
Flash flooding struck several parts of Independence County, making numerous water rescues necessary. At least two feet of water covered Arkansas 233 at Moorefield, a mudslide occurred on Arkansas 25 near Brock Mountain, a car was under water at a convenience store in Pfeiffer, and a bridge was under water between Batesville and Moorefield on Arkansas 25 when a creek overflowed. County roads and bridges had considerable damage. A number of houses were damaged by floodwaters.
Heavy rain produced significant rises on the upper White River and tributaries. The combination of high river flows and the excessive upstream reservoir releases caused a second major flood event at the Batesville gage. Homes and businesses were flooded for a second time in less than month in Batesville and Oil Trough. Additional damages were noted by the Southside Water Association due to excessive scour near the intake. The Batesville wastewater treatment plant also had some minor riverbank failure problems.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
38,175
Population (ACS)
$143K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 8, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Batesville 173
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Independence County, Arkansas?
559 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $93.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Independence County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 223 recorded events — 39.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Independence County?
45 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Independence County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Independence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Independence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Independence County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Independence 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
- Howard County 590
- Izard County 354
- Hot Spring County 609
- Jackson County 501
- Hempstead County 556
- Jefferson County 663
Cite this page
“Independence County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/independence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.