Ouachita County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 497 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #887 nationally and #31 in Arkansas.
497
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$17.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Ouachita County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ouachita County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 158 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 447 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ouachita County, Arkansas record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.6M 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 Ouachita County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 200 | 0 | $5.0M | 74 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 127 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1967–2026 |
| Flood | 105 | 1 | $4.9M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $6.6M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Ouachita County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-12-19 | EF4 | 2 | 9 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-11-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-03 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 62.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 111.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ouachita County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2008 | Flood | AMY | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 8, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An elderly man drowned when he drove his small SUV into floodwaters on Arkansas Highway 7 south of Amy. The vehicle was washed off the highway and overturned. Doppler weather radar estimated that at least 6 to 8 inches of rain had fallen in the area on the night of the 6th and the morning of the 7th. The rain caused creeks to begin rising, and the highway eventually flooded. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department indicated that the highway was closed and barricaded on the afternoon of the 7th. The man drove around the barricades and into the water around 5:30 AM CDT on the 8th. According to a report from the Arkansas State Police, the water on the highway was 4 feet deep at the time of the accident. Furthermore, the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office indicated that the water was still rising quickly at the time.
The Camden-Fairview High School had damage at the baseball field, where the bleachers were overturned and the dugouts were destroyed, at the football stadium and weight room, at the band building, and at one of the classroom buildings. Hundreds of trees were blown down. Nine homes were destroyed, nine had major damage, 13 had minor damage, and seven were affected. Many power lines were blown down, including a major transmission line, leaving the entire city without power.
Heavy rain caused the Ouachita River at Camden to go above moderate flood level. Numerous county roads were flooded and Arkansas Highway 7 was closed. Many residences were cut off by flooded access roads at points along the river both upstream and downstream of Camden. Access was by boat only. Agricultural damages were primarily to lost pastures due to prolonged inundation.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,085
Population (ACS)
$102K
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 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Camden 295
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ouachita County, Arkansas?
497 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $17.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ouachita County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 200 recorded events — 40.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ouachita County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ouachita County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ouachita County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ouachita County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ouachita County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ouachita 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
- Newton County 359
- Perry County 407
- Nevada County 342
- Phillips County 178
- Montgomery County 451
- Pike County 440
Cite this page
“Ouachita County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/ouachita-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.