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Pulaski County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 1,897 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #16 nationally and #1 in Arkansas.
1,897
Recorded events
25
Direct deaths
507
Direct injuries
$597.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Pulaski County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pulaski County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 25.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 536 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 322 events fall before 1990 and 1,575 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pulaski County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 19 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $459.4M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pulaski County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 726 | 2 | $6.4M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 677 | 0 | $61.3M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 237 | 2 | $20.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 102 | 19 | $459.4M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 64 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Lightning | 46 | 2 | $10.0M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 32 | 0 | $38.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2014 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Pulaski County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
99 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 76 touched down inside it and 23 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-27 | EF4 | 16 | 193 | 41.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF4 | 10 | 40 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-01 | EF4 | 5 | 180 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-29 | EF3 | 5 | 64 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 3 | 72 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 2 | 53 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-02-22 | EF3 | 1 | 22 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 0 | 54 | 34.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 28.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pulaski County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | Tornado | MABELVALE | 5 | 180 | $50.0M |
| Jan 22, 1999 | Tornado | LITTLE ROCK | 3 | 72 | $0 |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Tornado | 3 | 52 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 28, 2014 | Tornado | FERNDALE | 3 | 25 | $13.0M |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Tornado | CAMMACK VLG | 2 | 2 | $38.5M |
| Dec 2, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 25 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 22, 1975 | Tornado | 1 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | CYPRESS JCT | 1 | 6 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado began west of the Ferndale area, near the Saline/Pulaski County line. This was the first of five tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm. According to the American Red Cross, 7 houses were destroyed, 24 had major damage, 9 houses and 1 mobile home had minor damage, and 76 houses were affected in Pulaski County. Three members of one family, a 48-year-old male, a 20-year-old female, and a 14-year-old female, were killed in a house on Deer Dr. Communities affected included Ferndale and Roland. The tornado crossed the eastern portion of Lake Maumelle. The tornado exited Pulaski County 1.6 miles northeast of Roland, as it crossed the Arkansas River, and entered Faulkner County 0.6 mile southwest of Palarm.
This tornado's track was entirely within the city limits of Little Rock. It touched down southwest of the intersection of W. Markham and John Barrow Rd. and ended in the Sherrill Heights neighborhood. While there was some shingle damage to houses, the vast majority of the damage was due to trees falling on houses and vehicles. The Leawood subdivision and The Heights were hard-hit. A Red Cross survey indicated two houses were destroyed, 36 suffered major damage, 49 had minor damage, and 37 others were affected. As of 7:00 AM CDT on the 15th, the Little Rock Police Department reported more than 40 streets blocked by fallen trees. A 34 year-old woman and her 7 year-old son were killed on Cynthia Dr. when a huge tree fell into the bedroom of their house. The root system of the tree was so large that it lifted a shed off the ground. On the same block, another huge tree was uprooted and the tree pulled natural gas lines out of the ground as it fell.
This tornado exited Saline County, southeast of East End, and moved into Pulaski County, southwest of Woodson. Altogether, 75 homes (houses and mobile homes) were damaged or destroyed. This number included 21 homes destroyed, 16 with major damage, 26 with minor damage, and the remainder with only slight damage. Most of these homes were in the Hensley and Woodson areas. One woman was killed when her mobile home was destroyed on West Hensley Rd. Two large, steel, electrical transmission towers were knocked down. The tornado exited Pulaski County, east of Wrightsville, and moved into Lonoke County, just northwest of Keo.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
399,818
Population (ACS)
$215K
Median home value
33
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 |
| Apr 2, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Little Rock 237
- Jacksonville 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pulaski County, Arkansas?
1,897 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 25 direct deaths and $597.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pulaski County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 726 recorded events — 38.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pulaski County?
99 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 76 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pulaski County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pulaski County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pulaski County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pulaski County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pulaski 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
- Prairie County 400
- Randolph County 343
- Pope County 598
- St. Francis County 240
- Polk County 533
- Saline County 842
Cite this page
“Pulaski County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/pulaski-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.