Newton County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 359 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,436 nationally and #53 in Arkansas.
359
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$11.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Newton County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Newton County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 119 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 329 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Newton County, Arkansas record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $6.8M 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 Newton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 152 | 0 | $1.3M | 70 | 1967–2025 |
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $1K | 4.5 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 34 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $1.0M | F2 | 1961–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2024 |
| Flood | 5 | 1 | $6.8M | 0 | 2006–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Newton County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-11-23 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 31.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 36.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-02-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 28.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Newton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2002 | Lightning | BEN HUR | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 2011 | Flood | GEORGE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Mar 7, 2017 | Tornado | MOSSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain produced flooding along the Buffalo National River. A 21 year-old man swimming in the river at Blue Hole (between Hasty and Piercetown) drowned on the evening of the 24th. He had swum across the river and was swimming back across when the current carried him away. His body was recovered five days later.
Arkansas Highway 327 between Parthenon and Jasper had logs and debris on the road from heavy rain, and part of the road was flooded as well. A mudslide occurred 2 miles north of Wayton and the road was impassable. A landslide occurred on Boat Mountain, taking out the road leading to the top of the mountain. According to the county judge, areas around Walnut and Limestone were particularly hard hit by flooding, which washed out most bridges and roads. In addition, numerous low water slabs and culverts were washed out.
This tornado exited Madison County south of Red Star and entered Newton County north of Arbaugh. In Newton County, hundreds of trees were blown down, with several of the trees falling on houses and vehicles. A number of outbuildings were damaged. A chicken house and a barn were destroyed. The greatest amount of structural damage occurred just south of Wayton. Many power poles and power lines were blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,112
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
30
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Newton County, Arkansas?
359 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $11.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Newton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 152 recorded events — 42.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Newton County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Newton County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Newton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Newton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Newton County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Newton 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
- Nevada County 342
- Ouachita County 497
- Montgomery County 451
- Perry County 407
- Monroe County 352
- Phillips County 178
Cite this page
“Newton County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/newton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.