42
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
92
Direct injuries
$176.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Crawford County, Arkansas: 42 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #567 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Crawford County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Crawford County is the 2010s, when 14 of the county's 42 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Crawford County archive, tornado makes up 5.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #17 within Arkansas, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Crawford County with 15 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-04-21 | EF3 | 10.1 mi | 1,050 yd | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 4.5 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 38.2 mi | 0 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 1.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-04-14 | EF3 | 13.6 mi | 833 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 40.7 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-23 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-30 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-13 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 1996 | VAN BUREN | F3 | 0 | 49 | $150.0M |
| May 27, 1973 | F1 | 0 | 23 | $250K | |
| Apr 13, 2018 | RUDY | EF2 | 0 | 4 | $600K |
| Mar 15, 1984 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Apr 14, 1960 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Dec 1, 2018 | VAN BUREN | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
| Mar 24, 2016 | DAVIDSON | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Oct 16, 1984 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2025 | SHIBLEY | EF0 | $5K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | VAN BUREN | EF1 | $500K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | VAN BUREN | EF0 | $15K |
| May 7, 2024 | GRAPHIC | EF1 | $50K |
| May 7, 2024 | HOBBS | EF1 | $30K |
| May 7, 2024 | SHIBLEY | EF1 | $500K |
| May 4, 2021 | GRAPHIC | EF1 | $20K |
| May 4, 2021 | VAN BUREN | EF1 | $15.0M |
| May 4, 2021 | STATTLER | EF1 | $10K |
| May 4, 2021 | VAN BUREN | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Crawford County
- Thunderstorm Wind 321
- Hail 310
- Flash Flood 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the fourth segment of a four segment tornado. After moving back into Crawford County, the tornado removed a large portion of the roof of the Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren. Numerous homes and businesses were also damaged in Van Buren, and numerous power poles and trees were snapped by the tornado. This very large tornado then moved northeast across portions of Rudy and Alma, and then dissipated southeast of Mountainburg. Many trees were snapped or uprooted, outbuildings were destroyed, homes and businesses were damaged, and numerous power poles were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph.
This tornado developed north of I-40 and just west of Lee Creek Road where homes sustained minor roof damage, trees were uprooted, and the roofs of several apartment complexes were damaged. The tornado moved northeast across Rena Road, damaging numerous homes, some severely, snapping three large wooden utility structures, and snapping and uprooting numerous trees. The tornado then crossed Uniontown Road and Fayetteville Road near Rena, and dissipated as it approached N Rudy Road. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 110 to 120 mph.
This tornado developed just south of I-40, and north of Highway 64. It moved east, crossing Highway 64 snapping and uprooting trees, and damaging homes. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, and numerous homes were damaged as the tornado continued to move generally east, crossing Highway 162, and then dissipating east of Sharp Chapel Road. A tornadic debris signature was detected by the KSRX WSR-88D with this tornado. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 100 to 110 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Crawford County, Arkansas?
42 tornado events are recorded in Crawford County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Crawford County?
The strongest tornado on record in Crawford County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Crawford County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Crawford County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/crawford-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.