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Perry County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 407 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,225 nationally and #45 in Arkansas.
407
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$9.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Perry County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Perry County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 359 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Perry County, Arkansas record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Perry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 161 | 0 | $975K | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 103 | 0 | $352K | 2.75 | 1957–2022 |
| Flood | 84 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 1 | $192K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $5.1M | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2025 |
Decade by decade
Perry County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-11-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-09-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 34.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Perry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2011 | Flash Flood | CASA | 1 | 0 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The driver of a feed truck exited his vehicle at a low-water crossing to remove a large log that was in the road at Casa-Aplin Rd. and Deer Run Ln. While he was outside his truck, he was swept away by high water. The incident occurred around 8:00 PM CDT on the 25th, but the accident was not discovered until around 8:00 AM CDT on the 26th.
A strong tornado touched down over southern Perry County. Winds were estimated at 160 mph. The tornado initially tracked through the Ouachita National Forest where hundreds of trees were either snapped off or blown down. Once emerging from the forest area, the tornado downed eleven large steel towers on a 500 kilovolt power line. As the tornado continued tracking to the northeast, a sawmill was destroyed, along with several houses. Several dozen other houses sustained damage and several mobile homes were overturned. Numerous vehicles were damaged or destroyed, as well as a number of barns and outbuildings. Several chicken houses also sustained damage. Numerous trees and power lines were also downed. The tornado eventually moved into Conway County.
The worst damage from this tornado occurred at Heifer International's ranch. Several buildings had their roofs torn off and thrown into adjacent fields and several hay barns were destroyed. No animals at the ranch were harmed. Otherwise, several houses had major roof damage and some other houses had lesser amounts of roof damage. Dozens of trees were snapped off or blown over. Several vehicles were badly damaged by falling trees. Barns and outbuildings were damaged. A number of power lines were blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,101
Population (ACS)
$130K
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 |
| 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
- Houston 277
- Perryville 105
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Perry County, Arkansas?
407 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Perry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 161 recorded events — 39.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Perry County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Perry County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Perry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Perry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Perry County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Perry 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
- Ouachita County 497
- Phillips County 178
- Newton County 359
- Pike County 440
- Nevada County 342
- Poinsett County 398
Cite this page
“Perry County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/perry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.