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Prairie County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 400 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,255 nationally and #47 in Arkansas.
400
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$68.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Prairie County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Prairie County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 356 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Prairie County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $38.9M 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 Prairie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 165 | 0 | $1.1M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 91 | 0 | $50K | 4 | 1962–2026 |
| Flood | 58 | 1 | $26.3M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 6 | $38.9M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $848K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $332K | 0 | 1997–2012 |
Decade by decade
Prairie County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 9 | 9 | 16.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-26 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-03-26 | EF3 | 0 | 20 | 14.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 5 | 60 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF2 | 5 | 15 | 13.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-11-10 | EF2 | 2 | 1 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-02-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 32.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Prairie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | Tornado | 5 | 15 | $250K | |
| Mar 21, 1952 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $3K | |
| May 1, 2011 | Flood | HICKORY PLAINS | 1 | 0 | $15.0M |
| Mar 27, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $250K | |
| Mar 25, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | DES ARC | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 12, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain caused the White River at Des Arc to go above major flood level. This was the highest the river had been since April, 1973. The river was at minor flood level at the beginning of the month and continued to rise throughout most of the month due to the heavy rains. Substantial portions of the towns of Des Arc and DeValls Bluff were flooded, as were portions of U.S. Highway 70 near DeValls Bluff. Arkansas Highways 11, 38, and 33 were flooded in and near Des Arc. Riverfront Park on the east bank of the White River flooded. Some 80 homes, campers and cabins were flooded along Bayou Des Arc and at Spring Lake east of Des Arc. There were also about 20 to 30 homes flooded in and near DeValls Bluff. Low areas in the Spring Lake and Horn Lake areas on to the east, and Leisure Acres north of Des Arc were underwater. Many residences on Webb Road were flooded. First Street in Des Arc was flooded. Agricultural losses to winter wheat were also noted. The flooding continued into April.
Heavy rain contributed to a fiery pile-up on Interstate 40 near mile marker 203. When the heavy rain began, one vehicle tried to pull onto the shoulder. That vehicle was rear-ended, and in the ensuing chain-reaction, six tractor-trailers and three cars were destroyed. A large fire ensued. Ten fire engines and rescue trucks responded with a total of 28 firefighters. Eight people were injured in the crash, two of them critically. The westbound lanes of the interstate were blocked for more than 4 1/2 hours.
Flash flooding, which developed early on the morning of the 24th, became widespread areal flooding later in the morning on the 24th and continued into Christmas morning. Numerous county roads and state highways were flooded. Approximately 25 homes were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,064
Population (ACS)
$96K
Median home value
22
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Des Arc 196
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Prairie County, Arkansas?
400 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $68.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Prairie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 165 recorded events — 41.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Prairie County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Prairie County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Prairie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Prairie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Prairie County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Prairie 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
- Pope County 598
- Pulaski County 1,897
- Polk County 533
- Randolph County 343
- Poinsett County 398
- St. Francis County 240
Cite this page
“Prairie County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/prairie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.