Cleburne County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 367 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,394 nationally and #51 in Arkansas.
367
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
49
Direct injuries
$75.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Cleburne County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cleburne County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 318 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cleburne County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $63.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cleburne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 165 | 0 | $4.1M | 70 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 123 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1963–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $4.3M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 29 | 4 | $63.7M | F4 | 1955–2026 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $270K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 2009–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Cleburne County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-15 | EF4 | 2 | 13 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-02 | EF3 | 5 | 24 | 45.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 10 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-29 | EF3 | 1 | 6 | 16.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 36.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-09-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cleburne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 1984 | Tornado | 2 | 10 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 28, 1997 | Lightning | HEBER SPGS | 1 | 12 | $0 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| Mar 11, 2010 | Tornado | PEARSON | 1 | 3 | $250K |
| May 2, 2008 | Tornado | CROSSROADS | 0 | 12 | $32.0M |
| Apr 4, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | HEBER SPGS | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Nov 28, 2005 | Tornado | QUITMAN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 5, 2003 | Tornado | HOPEWELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A home was destroyed on South Sawmill Road, and the three occupants in the home were thrown out into a field. A 79 year-old man lost his life. The man's wife, 75 years old, suffered serious injuries, as did their grandson, 23 years old. The washer, dryer, and water heater from the home were found about 750 feet away in some brush. A mobile home on the same property was destroyed. Six other homes received minor damage. Some trees and power lines were blown down. A motorist on Arkansas Highway 107 was injured when his pickup truck was blown off the road.
A group of people were attending a picnic on the shore of Greers Ferry Lake at the Old Highway 25 Park. Lightning struck nearby and injured 12 people. One other person was killed as a result of being struck. The extent of injuries to the others struck consisted of burns. Most of the injured were treated and released from the hospital the same day and several others were kept for observation.
This tornado exited Van Buren County, east-northeast of Morganton, and moved into Cleburne County, northwest of Crossroads. Across the county, 194 homes received damage. This included 27 houses and five mobile homes destroyed, 66 homes with major damage, and 96 homes with minor damage. A dog kennel, two chicken houses, and a beauty shop were destroyed. Minor damage was done to two chicken houses, a rock quarry, a flea market, a boat storage facility, a beauty shop, a fire department, a print shop, and a community ball park. At least 19 boats and party barges sank in Greers Ferry Lake. Removal of the vessels and clean-up of the spilled fuel and fluids continued well into June. About 6800 homes and businesses lost power. In addition to power lines and poles being blown down, one transmission line and one substation were damaged. Approximately 250 dogs and puppies were killed, along with two horses, and hundreds of chickens.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,226
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 15, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cleburne County, Arkansas?
367 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $75.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cleburne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 165 recorded events — 45.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cleburne County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cleburne County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cleburne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cleburne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cleburne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cleburne 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
- Clay County 337
- Cleveland County 269
- Clark County 638
- Columbia County 464
- Chicot County 489
- Conway County 547
Cite this page
“Cleburne County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/cleburne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.