Hempstead County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 556 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #701 nationally and #23 in Arkansas.
556
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$18.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Hempstead County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hempstead County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 7.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 133 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 118 events fall before 1990 and 438 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hempstead County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $14.3M 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 Hempstead County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 246 | 1 | $2.4M | 83 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $500 | 2.75 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $640K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 5 | $14.3M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $770K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Hempstead County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF4 | 3 | 23 | 45.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 5 | 4 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 20.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 86.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hempstead County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 5 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 19, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 10, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | CENTER PT | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Apr 4, 2011 | Tornado | DUNLAP | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jun 3, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPE | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Jun 3, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPE | 0 | 2 | $60K |
| May 12, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in northern Hempstead County Arkansas and concluded that storm damage was the result of an EF2 tornado. The tornado touched down at around 8:40 AM east of the town of Blevins near a chicken farm. Four large chicken houses were completely destroyed and hundreds of chickens killed. A small trailer on the south side of the chicken houses used as an office for the farm was picked up and thrown 20 yards north into one of the chicken houses. The occupant inside the trailer sustained minor injuries. Another worker on the farm also sustained minor injuries. Metal debris was found up to 3 miles east from the farm. The tornado continued east crossing CR 45. Numerous trees were snapped along a treeline south of hwy 371 as the tornado paralleled the hwy. The tornado lifted near CR 17 in Nevada County Maximum winds are estimated at 115-120 mph.
An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 107 mph touched down along County Road 1041 about one mile northwest of the Spring Hill community. Tree limbs were downed and a trunk was snapped off of a tree. More concentrated damage was found on County Road 174, where a barn's tin metal roof was completely removed, windows were blown out of two homes, shingles removed from roofs, trees fallen onto several homes, a shed was shifted off of its foundation, and a carport was destroyed. In addition, approximately 15 trees were either uprooted or snapped at their trunk. As the tornado continued northeast across Highway 29, it ripped the tin metal roof off of a heavy machinery shelter and led to the column anchorage failure of the structure. The metal roof was thrown and twisted into a tree behind it. The tornado continued to uproot and snap trees as it crossed Country Club Drive, East 28th Street, and Highway 32 before lifting along Highway 278 just southeast of Hope.
The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in Hempstead County Arkansas and found evidence of an EF1 tornado north of Hope. The tornado first touched down along CR 248 where 9 out of 10 chicken houses lost their roofs���several trees were snapped and an tractor trailer was flipped over. The tornado continued north east crossing CR 211 where several trees were snapped or uprooted and metal roofing was peeled from a barn. Maximum winds are estimated at 85-95 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,508
Population (ACS)
$106K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 21, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hope 147
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hempstead County, Arkansas?
556 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $18.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hempstead County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 246 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hempstead County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hempstead County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hempstead County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hempstead County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hempstead County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 52 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hempstead 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
- Greene County 347
- Hot Spring County 609
- Grant County 380
- Howard County 590
- Garland County 818
- Independence County 559
Cite this page
“Hempstead County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/hempstead-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.