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Jefferson County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 663 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #451 nationally and #12 in Arkansas.
663
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$19.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 175 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 120 events fall before 1990 and 543 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Arkansas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $8.8M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 319 | 4 | $1.5M | 83 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $0 | 4.25 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 37 | 1 | $6.6M | F3 | 1954–2024 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $8.8M | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Lightning | 10 | 1 | $148K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-21 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-01-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-11-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-02-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $25K | |
| Sep 16, 2009 | Heavy Rain | HARDIN | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Aug 13, 1997 | Lightning | PINE BLUFF | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHITE HALL | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARDIN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Sep 11, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 8, 2019 | Tornado | PINE BLUFF | 0 | 9 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tree fell on a car that was traveling on Arkansas Highway 104. The car overturned into a water-filled ditch, killing the driver and injuring a passenger. Winds at the time of the accident were light. However, in the 24 hours prior to the accident, approximately 3 inches of rain had fallen, and according to the State Police report, rain was still falling at the time of the accident. It is believed that the heavy rains weakened the tree's roots and added extra weight to the foliage on the tree, causing it to fall.
Two men were standing near a bulldozer when lightning struck the bulldozer. The lightning travelled through the ground and struck them. One man sustained minor injuries and was later released from the hospital. The second man suffered a heart attack after being struck. He eventually died from his injuries about 2 weeks later.
The Arkansas River at Pine Bluff rose back above flood stage for the 2nd time in May, remaining in flood into June. Many homes were flooded in the Swan Lake area, along with many roads closed due to flooding. There were also water rescues from the Pine Bluff Regional Park and Campground.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,802
Population (ACS)
$113K
Median home value
25
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 |
| 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 |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pine Bluff 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Arkansas?
663 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $19.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 319 recorded events — 48.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 501
- Johnson County 549
- Izard County 354
- Lafayette County 421
- Independence County 559
- Lawrence County 405
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.