Sevier County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 469 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #983 nationally and #35 in Arkansas.
469
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$11.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Sevier County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sevier County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 90 events fall before 1990 and 379 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $8.0M 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 Sevier County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 216 | 0 | $2.6M | 80 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 188 | 0 | $50K | 4.5 | 1957–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $8.0M | F4 | 1954–2026 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $420K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2016 |
Decade by decade
Sevier County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF4 | 3 | 23 | 45.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 1 | 22 | 71.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-09 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 37.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 42.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-11-20 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-02-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sevier County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | Tornado | WEST LINE | 0 | 7 | $3.5M |
| Nov 20, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Sep 2, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BEN LOMOND | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Mar 24, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Aug 30, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado destroyed at least 10 to 12 mobile homes along US-71 just north of De Queen, AR. Numerous trees and powerlines were also uprooted or snapped. There were 7 reported injuries, all in the mobile home park north of Dequeen, Arkansas but none were life threatening. The Arkansas governor declared Sevier County a disaster area because of the tornado damage in the county.
During the early morning hours of May 24th, an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds estimated at 110 mph, first touched down on Beacon Hill Road in rural Central Sevier County, Arkansas between the towns of De Queen and Lockesburg in association with a quasi-linear convective system. It continued to move northeastward for 4 to 5 miles, crossing US Highway 71 just south of the US Hwy 70 intersection, then lifting along Sevier County Road 328. Damage consisted mostly of uprooted and snapped trees and power lines, with structural damage to a few outbuildings and sheds. A few residences were damaged due to falling trees or branches. Peak intensity of the tornado was estimated as the tornado crossed Farm-to-Market Road 15 south of the community of Geneva. There, many trees where snapped, a residence was damaged, and a chicken house had roof panels removed. Many areas northeast of this location were hard to access by the NWS survey team, but the team found enough evidence to conclude the tornado continued to the northeast for several more miles before lifting.
An EF1 tornado with winds of 85 to 95 mph occurred on the north side of the town of Dequeen, Arkansas. The main track paralleled West Robinson Road west of U.S. Hwy 71 North. Numerous large trees were snapped and uprooted including several that fell on homes. Several trees also fell in the town of DeQueen mainly along Altena Street in association with strong straight line winds from the same tornadic thunderstorm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,712
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
18
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
- De Queen 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sevier County, Arkansas?
469 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sevier County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 216 recorded events — 46.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sevier County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sevier County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sevier County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sevier County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sevier County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sevier 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
- Sebastian County 1,038
- Sharp County 368
- Searcy County 303
- Stone County 273
- Scott County 344
- Union County 519
Cite this page
“Sevier County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/sevier-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.