333
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Arkansas: 333 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #346 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Franklin County is the 2000s, when 108 of the county's 333 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 Franklin County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 47.7% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #346 for this hazard and #10 within Arkansas, putting it in the 89.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Franklin County with 62 recorded events, while Dec 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2008 | BRANCH | 61 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2026 | CHARLESTON | 61 | $2K |
| Sep 18, 2025 | CHARLESTON | 61 | $5K |
| Sep 18, 2025 | CHARLESTON | 52 | $2K |
| Apr 19, 2025 | WHITE OAK | 56 | $5K |
| Apr 19, 2025 | VESTA | 65 | $2K |
| Aug 19, 2024 | WATALULA | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | ALTUS | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | JETHRO | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | CASS | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2024 | CHARLESTON | 61 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Franklin County
- Hail 233
- Flash Flood 69
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Seven power poles were blown down within a half-mile area between Alix and Denning, causing a two-hour power outage in Altus, Coal Hill and Hartman. Several permanent structures sustained roof damage, and several outbuildings were destroyed. One barn was nearly destroyed.
There were quite a few reports of damage from the greater Vesta area. Specific reports follow:- Just northwest of Vesta, two windows were blown out of a house. A shed was blown over. A large oak tree was uprooted, and several other trees were heavily damaged. A patio table was blown away, never to be seen again. – On Mill Creek Mountain, a home was damaged when a tree was uprooted and blown on top of a house. Numerous other large trees were blown over, including a walnut tree with an eleven-foot circumfrence. A shed was destroyed. Sheet iron was scattered about.- On Hickory Ridge (located one mile south of Vesta), a window was blown out of a residence, and two sheds were destroyed on Hickory Ridge. Numerous trees were blown over, one of which fell onto a truck, breaking the windshield and messing up the hood.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and tree limbs all over the city of Ozark. The winds shattered windows in the Faith Addition on North 25th and 26th Streets, the city's second-largest subdivision. The Franklin County OES Director reported numerous trees blown down countywide with numerous reports of dime to nickel-sized hail.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Franklin County, Arkansas?
333 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Franklin County between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Franklin County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Franklin County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Franklin 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/franklin-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.