61
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
105
Direct injuries
$67.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Jackson County, Arkansas: 61 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #235 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jackson County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jackson County is the 1990s, when 15 of the county's 61 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 Jackson County archive, tornado makes up 12.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #235 for this hazard and #6 within Arkansas, putting it in the 91.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Jackson County with 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-15 | EF4 | 20.9 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-15 | EF4 | 26.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF4 | 54.8 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF4 | 18.5 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-24 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1950-04-02 | EF3 | 2.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-30 | EF3 | 7.7 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 31.0 mi | 0 yd | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 28.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 8.5 mi | 1,053 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | DENMARK | F2 | 2 | 30 | $10.0M |
| Mar 1, 1997 | JACKSONPORT | F2 | 1 | 30 | $25.0M |
| May 16, 1968 | F4 | 1 | 11 | $25K | |
| Apr 2, 1950 | F3 | 1 | 8 | $3K | |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 0 | 6 | $3K | |
| Jan 22, 1999 | NEWPORT | F1 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2026 | MILLTOWN | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | MC FADDEN | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | TUPELO | EF2 | $10K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | DIAZ | EF1 | $100K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SHOFFNER | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | ALGOA | EF1 | $200K |
| May 2, 2019 | SWIFTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EIGHT MILE | EF0 | $20K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | DIAZ | EF1 | $100K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | GRAND GLAISE | EF1 | $30K |
Other hazards here
More from Jackson County
- Thunderstorm Wind 216
- Hail 114
- Flash Flood 48
- Flood 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This was the fifth of five tornadoes spawned by the same supercell thunderstorm. This tornado passed through the south side of Shoffner. A church was destroyed and a power substation was damaged. A hangar at a flying service was destroyed and an aircraft used for agricultural application was damaged. A mobile home was overturned and destroyed. Significant roof damage occurred to homes. A grain elevator was badly damaged. An irrigation pivot was overturned. Outbuildings were destroyed or damaged. Trees were blown down.
The survey team found numerous trees and power poles downed or snapped and structural damage to a few homes. One home had the back of a garage blown out and part of the roof removed in the back. A storage building was hit broadside and thrown. On US 67/167, road signs were obliterated. South of the tornado, there was random damage to structures, including doors blown in at a fire house. This was caused by straight-line winds. Farther east toward the Newport Airport, there was extensive damage at a prison. A mobile home was rolled, and a couple of barns had mostly roof damage. Straight-line winds were estimated at 80-90 mph. Wind gusts reached 66 mph at the Newport Airport. The survey team would like to thank Don Ivie, Jackson County Emergency Manager, for his valuable assistance during this survey.
This tornado started just west of the White River Apartments causing roof damage to some of those apartment buildings. Damage was also noted to buildings at the George Kell Park, along with several trees uprooted along this path. This tornado lifted shortly before Hwy. 367.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jackson County, Arkansas?
61 tornado events are recorded in Jackson County between 1950 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jackson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jackson County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Jackson 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 Jackson County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/jackson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.