Pike County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 440 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 40.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,099 nationally and #40 in Arkansas.
440
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$9.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Pike County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pike County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 133 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 62 events fall before 1990 and 378 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $7.1M 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 Pike County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 177 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 177 | 0 | $7.1M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 37 | 0 | $572K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $795K | F2 | 1957–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $33K | 0 | 2010–2011 |
Decade by decade
Pike 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: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-09 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 37.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-03-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-23 | EF3 | 0 | 29 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-01-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pike County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2023 | Tornado | KIRBY | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | Tornado | KIRBY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 20, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 19, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Damage occurred near Lake Greeson and in areas to the south, near Murfreesboro. |Near Lake Greeson, damage to the roof of the marina was found, along with docks E and D. The damage near Murfreesboro was several trees blown down. A review of videos taken at the time reveal a circulation over Lake Greeson when the damage occurred. From the video evidence and a careful review of radar data, a strong microburst occurred in between Daisy and Murfreesboro resulting in a sustained circulation over Lake Greeson that, when over land, is typically referred to as a gustnado. This appeared to be a gustnado over water. With the damage being initiated by downdraft, it is considered thunderstorm wind damage.
Most major streets in Murfreesboro were flooded. Several highways in the southern portion of the county were under water. The cabins at the old city park were under water. A store was flooded in Murfreesboro. Pike County Memorial Hospital's parking lot was flooded.
Flash flooding occurred along the Little Missouri River, the Caddo River, and many of their tributaries. Many highways and secondary roads were flooded. In Glenwood, the Caddo River flooded the cattle auction business, a gas station, and a canoe rental business. Just west of Langley, the Little Missouri River rose from 3 feet to more than 23 feet in only 4 hours. Rainfall for the 24 hour period ending at 7 AM on the 11th included 7.60 inches at Glenwood and 7.20 inches at Langley. The majority of this rain occurred after thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours of the 11th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,115
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pike County, Arkansas?
440 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pike County?
Hail, with 177 recorded events — 40.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pike County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pike County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pike County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pike County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pike County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pike 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
- Phillips County 178
- Poinsett County 398
- Perry County 407
- Polk County 533
- Ouachita County 497
- Pope County 598
Cite this page
“Pike County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/pike-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.