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Poinsett County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 398 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,264 nationally and #48 in Arkansas.
398
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
106
Direct injuries
$67.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Poinsett County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Poinsett County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 334 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Poinsett County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $60.4M 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 Poinsett County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | $2.4M | 100 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 131 | 0 | $3.1M | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 48 | 8 | $60.4M | F4 | 1952–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Dust Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Poinsett County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-15 | EF4 | 5 | 12 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-26 | EF4 | 3 | 289 | 54.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 3 | 96 | 51.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 1 | 57 | 39.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 24.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-09-26 | EF3 | 0 | 21 | 35.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 28.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Poinsett County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 1984 | Tornado | 5 | 12 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 2 | 39 | $250K | |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 25 | $25K | |
| Sep 27, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Oct 21, 2019 | Tornado | TYRONZA | 0 | 3 | $350K |
| Nov 23, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Tornado | MC DANIEL | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado developed just southwest of Trumann and destroyed about 70 homes and damaged another 100 homes. Several businesses were damaged or destroyed. There was also widespread tree damage. The fire station was also heavily damaged. The worst damage was in the northeast part of Trumann with businesses and homes destroyed. Tornado path ended near the St. Francis River. Peak winds were estimated at 130 mph.
Approximately five inches of rain fell across northern and western Poinsett County resulting in flash flooding. A few homes and several county roads were flooded. Many of the roads that were flooded were badly damaged and had to be repaired.
This was a short track tornado that touched down in the southwest part of Tyronza and tracked northeast. There was straight line wind damage surrounding the tornado. Primarily damage to a convenience store and elementary school. Several outbuildings were destroyed and numerous trees down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,543
Population (ACS)
$103K
Median home value
32
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 |
| Nov 14, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Dec 23, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Poinsett County, Arkansas?
398 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $67.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Poinsett County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 44.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Poinsett County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Poinsett County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Poinsett County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Poinsett County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Poinsett County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Poinsett 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
- Pike County 440
- Polk County 533
- Phillips County 178
- Pope County 598
- Perry County 407
- Prairie County 400
Cite this page
“Poinsett County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/poinsett-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.