62
Recorded events
27
Direct deaths
522
Direct injuries
$302.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Faulkner County, Arkansas: 62 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #221 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Faulkner County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Faulkner County is the 2000s, when 19 of the county's 62 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 Faulkner County archive, tornado makes up 7.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #221 for this hazard and #5 within Arkansas, putting it in the 92.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Faulkner County with 15 recorded events, while Aug 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-27 | EF4 | 41.1 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-10 | EF4 | 4.7 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 3.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-12-18 | EF3 | 9.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 29.0 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-24 | EF3 | 16.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-06 | EF3 | 26.7 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1959-03-14 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-13 | EF3 | 17.5 mi | 63 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 34.9 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2014 | PALARM | EF4 | 12 | 167 | $210.0M |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 6 | 200 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 26, 2011 | MAYFLOWER | EF2 | 4 | 15 | $52.0M |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F3 | 2 | 37 | $2.5M | |
| May 13, 1957 | F3 | 1 | 18 | $250K | |
| Dec 18, 2002 | HAMLET | F3 | 1 | 13 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F3 | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 15 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2025 | OTTO | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2022 | LAKE CONWAY | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2020 | SHADY GROVE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2019 | OTTO | EF0 | $1K |
| May 2, 2019 | CATO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 2018 | LINDER | EF1 | $100K |
| Mar 25, 2017 | CATO | EF1 | $10K |
| Apr 28, 2014 | PALARM | EF4 | $210.0M |
| Apr 26, 2011 | NAYLOR | EF1 | $15K |
| Apr 26, 2011 | MAYFLOWER | EF2 | $52.0M |
Other hazards here
More from Faulkner County
- Thunderstorm Wind 359
- Hail 266
- Flash Flood 83
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong tornado was spawned over Faulkner County about 1 mile north of Hamlet. The tornado moved to the northeast for approximately 9.8 miles before lifting 0.8 mile east-southeast of Enola. A number of homes, both permanent and mobile, were either damaged or destroyed along the path of the tornado. An 84 year-old woman was killed when her mobile home was destroyed. 13 others sustained injuries. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A power substation was also damaged.
The most extensive damage occurred to the Needs Creek Church and adjacent neighborhood. The church suffered extensive roof damage, as did a few homes in the neighborhood. Other damage includes the destruction of outbuildings and minor roof damage to other buildings along the path. Winds in the Needs Creek area were estimated to have been near 100 mph (EF1), the highest estimated for this tornado. Trees and power lines were reported down in the area as well.
Trees were blown down and the roof of one house was damaged. This tornado tracked across much of the same area that the Vilonia tornado had crossed the previous day. The tornado exited Faulkner County 2 miles south of Mount Vernon and moved into White County 3.99 miles west-northwest of Hammonsville.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Faulkner County, Arkansas?
62 tornado events are recorded in Faulkner County between 1952 and 2025, causing 27 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Faulkner County?
The strongest tornado on record in Faulkner County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Faulkner 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
“Tornado in Faulkner County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/faulkner-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.