Marion County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 341 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,549 nationally and #60 in Arkansas.
341
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
48
Direct injuries
$40.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Marion County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Marion 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 28 events fall before 1990 and 313 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Marion County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Marion County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 143 | 0 | $3.5M | 78 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 126 | 0 | $26K | 4 | 1967–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 1 | $1.7M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 9 | $34.1M | F3 | 1961–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $800K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $27K | 0 | 1998–2007 |
Decade by decade
Marion County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 4 | 1 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-11-18 | EF3 | 3 | 16 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF3 | 3 | 9 | 14.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 1 | 17 | 34.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-14 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 23.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 43.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 1 | 36 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-02-16 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-03-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Marion County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 1985 | Tornado | 3 | 13 | $25.0M | |
| May 7, 1961 | Tornado | 3 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| May 26, 2024 | Tornado | EROS | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2005 | Flash Flood | RUSH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 15, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Apr 22, 1996 | Tornado | YELLVILLE | 0 | 6 | $1.0M |
| Jul 21, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUFFALO POINT | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2023 | Tornado | VERONA | 0 | 2 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An elderly couple was returning to their home and found a low water crossing on Rush Creek flooded. They decided not to try and cross in their truck. They got out of the truck and attempted to cross the creek on foot at an old road bed that crossed the creek nearby. The water was too swift and they were swept downstream. The 88 year old man survived, but his 87 year old wife did not.
A Red Cross survey indicated that 3 houses had major damage, 5 had minor damage, and 5 others were affected. In addition, 3 mobile homes were destroyed, 3 had major damage, and 2 had minor damage. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down as well. The tornado continued into Baxter County, just east-southeast of Cotter.
Water rescues were performed by helicopter half way between Flippin and Fairview just off Arkansas Highway 178. Many low water crossings were flooded in the county. Arkansas Highway 235 was flooded near Bruno. There was one rescue from a home in Pyatt.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,228
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
28
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 |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Marion County, Arkansas?
341 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $40.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Marion County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 143 recorded events — 41.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Marion County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Marion County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Marion County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Marion County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marion County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Marion 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
- Madison County 503
- Miller County 576
- Lonoke County 852
- Mississippi County 510
- Logan County 416
- Monroe County 352
Cite this page
“Marion County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/marion-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.