470
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$1.9M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Sebastian County, Arkansas: 470 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 75. That places the county #133 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Sebastian County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Sebastian County is the 2010s, when 122 of the county's 470 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 Sebastian County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 45.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #133 for this hazard and #3 within Arkansas, putting it in the 95.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Sebastian County with 90 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1986 | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 17, 1986 | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Feb 21, 1997 | FT SMITH | 61 | 0 | 3 | $12K |
| Aug 20, 2011 | FT SMITH | 65 | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Aug 20, 2006 | FT SMITH | 56 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Jun 14, 1992 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Apr 10, 1990 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 23, 1987 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | GREENWOOD | 56 | $2K |
| Apr 15, 2026 | URSULA | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | BONANZA | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | JENSON | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | JENSON | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2026 | OAK PARK | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | FT SMITH | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | SOUTH FT SMITH | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | OAK PARK | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | RYE HILL | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sebastian County
- Hail 386
- Flash Flood 106
- Tornado 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour blew down numerous trees and power lines. The wind and falling trees and limbs damaged the roofs of some homes and a business. The wind also blew out windows of several homes and businesses and damaged numerous signs. As many as a hundred streets were blocked by the debris.
Strong thunderstorm wind severely damaged several commercial buildings, snapped or uprooted several trees, damaged the roofs of several homes, damaged privacy fences, and blew down power lines. A trained storm spotter measured 78 mph wind gusts in this area at the time.
Thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage in the downtown Fort Smith area. A wind gust of 64 miles an hour was measured at the airport. Stronger winds may have occurred where the damage was reported. The damage occurred from 7th and Garrison to 20th and Rogers. Windows were blown out of buildings with the flying glass injuring one person. Air conditioner units were blown off the roofs of buildings. Numerous trees were blown down with some of them falling on homes. 6000 homes were estimated to be without power.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
470 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Sebastian County between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Sebastian County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Sebastian County measured 75.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Sebastian 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 Sebastian County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/sebastian-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.