Benton County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 1,224 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #78 nationally and #2 in Arkansas.
1,224
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
54
Direct injuries
$161.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Benton County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benton County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 17.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 368 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 130 events fall before 1990 and 1,094 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Benton County, Arkansas record is flash flood, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $116.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Benton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 533 | 3 | $31.2M | 86 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 464 | 0 | $5.7M | 4.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 128 | 8 | $7.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 69 | 0 | $116.4M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Lightning | 16 | 1 | $457K | 0 | 1998–2015 |
| Flood | 14 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2024 |
Decade by decade
Benton County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
68 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 59 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-12-31 | EF3 | 4 | 10 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-06-11 | EF3 | 1 | 45 | 51.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-10-08 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-03-24 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-11-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 32.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Benton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2011 | Flash Flood | GALLITIN | 4 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2022 | Flash Flood | BENTONVILLE MUNI ARP | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | Flash Flood | BELLA VISTA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 21, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONTE NE | 1 | 1 | $75K |
| May 2, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | SILOAM SPGS | 1 | 1 | $200K |
| May 26, 2024 | Flood | BELLA VISTA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2024 | Flood | BELLA VISTA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONTE NE | 1 | 0 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three to five inches of rain fell across much of Benton County, resulting in numerous flooded roads. A vehicle was driven into at least four feet of flood water flowing across Shinn Spring Road and was washed downstream. On the 25th, the vehicle was recovered by divers in 10 feet of water in Butler Creek just upstream of its confluence with the Illinois River and about one mile downstream of where the vehicle entered the creek. The bodies of one woman and two children were found in the backseat of the car. Another woman who was in the vehicle was never recovered.
Two boys playing in shallow flood water in a retention area, wandered close to a storm drain, and were pulled under the water. A woman immediately dove into the water to attempt to rescue the boys, and managed to save one of them. The other boy was recovered by first responders, but died at the hospital. The woman was also recovered by first responders, and was taken to a hospital where she was on life support for several days. She later died from her injuries sustained in the drowning.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees, power lines, and large tree limbs throughout town. One large tree fell on a mobile home and crushed it. A 15 year old girl was killed in the mobile home and a 10 year old boy was injured by the tree. The wind also destroyed a business and damaged several homes in town.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
303,632
Population (ACS)
$324K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| May 30, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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
- Bentonville 131
- Siloam Spgs 124
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Benton County, Arkansas?
1,224 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $161.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 533 recorded events — 43.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Benton County?
68 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 59 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Benton County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benton 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
- Baxter County 558
- Boone County 467
- Ashley County 485
- Bradley County 269
- Arkansas County 477
- Calhoun County 279
Cite this page
“Benton County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/benton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.