106
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.0M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Sebastian County, Arkansas: 106 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #148 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Sebastian County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Sebastian County is the 2010s, when 40 of the county's 106 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, flash flood makes up 10.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #148 for this hazard and #4 within Arkansas, putting it in the 95.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Sebastian County with 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2019 | LAVACA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $400K |
| Jun 24, 2019 | GREENWOOD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2025 | FT SMITH | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | LAVACA | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | HARTFORD | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | FT SMITH | 0 | $10K |
| Mar 15, 2024 | MILL CREEK | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2024 | MILL CREEK | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2023 | OAK PARK | 0 | $75K |
| Mar 24, 2023 | BARLING | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | LAVACA | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 5, 2022 | FT SMITH | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sebastian County
- Thunderstorm Wind 470
- Hail 386
- Tornado 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Portions of Highways 96 and 255 were closed near Lavaca. Portions of Highway 22 were closed near Fort Chaffee. Reportedly, 38 homes were flood-damaged in Fort Smith and seven were flood-damaged in Barling. A woman delivering newspapers drove into flood water across Kinkead Avenue on the east side of Fort Smith, and was washed off the road where she drowned.
Thunderstorms produced in excess of 2 inches of rain in a short period of time across Sebastian County. The ground was already saturated from rains a few days earlier and substantial floooding occurred. Some homes which were flooded a few days earlier in Greenwood were flooded again. However, the most substantial flooding occurred in the Fort Smith area. About 10 homes in the Briarcliff and South 28th Street area were flooded with up to 16 inches of water. Some businesses in south Fort Smith were also flooded. There was deep street flooding in parts of south Fort Smith with abandoned cars floating around South 28th Street and Cavanaugh. Highway 45 south of Fort Smith had to be closed. The Governor of Arkansas declared Sebastian county a disaster area.
Heavy rain caused flash flooding across the northern half of Sebastian county. Severe street flooding occurred in Fort Smith and Greenwood.|In Greenwood, water entered 80 homes and several businesses. 28 homes were severely damaged. In rural areas, Highway 60 had water over it 3 miles east of Washburn and water covered the intersection of Highway 96 and Highway 22 near Lavaca.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
106 flash flood events are recorded in Sebastian County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Sebastian County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Sebastian County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood 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
“Flash Flood in Sebastian County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/sebastian-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.