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St. Francis County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 240 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,177 nationally and #72 in Arkansas.
240
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
145
Direct injuries
$35.9M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Francis County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Francis County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 69 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 194 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Francis County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in St. Francis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 112 | 1 | $7.3M | 87 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $49K | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 6 | $27.1M | F3 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $554K | 0 | 2002–2026 |
| Flood | 3 | 1 | $753K | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
St. Francis County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-06 | EF3 | 4 | 112 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-01-07 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 39.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-12-21 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 15.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF2 | 1 | 13 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-01-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Francis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 1974 | Tornado | 4 | 112 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 2, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 13 | $250K | |
| Dec 21, 2013 | Tornado | RAWLISON | 1 | 3 | $500K |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | HAWKINS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2016 | Flood | NEWCASTLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 21, 1999 | Tornado | WHEATLEY | 0 | 9 | $500K |
| Nov 15, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHEATLEY | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Apr 19, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down six miles west-southwest of Hughes and traveled north-northeast. Three mobile homes were destroyed near Hughes. Roof damage occurred to two homes and a barn was damaged. A number of irrigation pivots were overturned. Near the community of Wildwood a metal shed was destroyed. Power lines were also damaged along the path. The tornado lifted one mile northwest of Tarsus. The peak winds were estimated at 130 mph.
Heavy rain in late 2015 caused flooding along the St. Francis River through much of January. The St. Francis went above the action stage of 29 feet on the afternoon of January 3, 2016 and then climbed above the flood stage of 32 feet on January 6, 2016. The river remained above flood stage until January 16, 2016. A man was swept away after driving into a flooded road near Newcastle during the late afternoon of January 3, 2016.
A violent thunderstorm with downburst winds estimated at 70 to 80 mph lifted and rolled a double wide home on County Road 267 about 3 miles west of Caldwell. The mobile home traveled 70 feet where it finally landed on its roof. The mobile home was completely destroyed. A couple of vehicles were also heavily damaged. The downburst also removed a large part of the roofing material from the Country Hearth Inn near the interchange of Interstate 40 and Highway 1B in Forrest City.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,400
Population (ACS)
$91K
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Francis County, Arkansas?
240 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $35.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Francis County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 112 recorded events — 46.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Francis County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Francis County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Francis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Francis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Francis County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Francis 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
- Randolph County 343
- Saline County 842
- Pulaski County 1,897
- Scott County 344
- Prairie County 400
- Searcy County 303
Cite this page
“St. Francis County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/st-francis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.