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Phillips County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 178 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,565 nationally and #74 in Arkansas.
178
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$9.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Phillips County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Phillips County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 2.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 44 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 140 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Phillips County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 98 | 0 | $2.4M | 100 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 35 | 0 | $33K | 1.75 | 1977–2024 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $5.6M | F3 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $201K | 0 | 2002–2020 |
Decade by decade
Phillips 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: 21 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-11-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-02-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-05 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 8.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-01-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Phillips County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 1996 | Tornado | MARVELL | 0 | 3 | $30K |
| Feb 25, 2001 | Tornado | MOSBY SPUR | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| May 9, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 6, 1977 | 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
A tornado touched down in Arkansas County roughly 5 miles south of Tichnor. The tornado moved northeast crossing into Phillips County. The tornado knocked down around one thousand trees in the White River National Wildlife Refuge. From there, the tornado traveled northeast on a continuous path producing damage near Lundell. The Phillips County Airport sustained damage to several buildings. One brick building had major roof damage while another building was completely destroyed. An airport hangar was damaged as well. Several airplanes received damage. Another building sustained minor damage. Several trees were snapped off and many power lines were knocked down in the area. The tornado continued northeast crossing into Coahoma County, Mississippi near Jackson Point.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding over Eastern Phillips County. At least 60 homes sustained some water damage. Several roads were flooded in Elaine, Lexa, and Helena-West Helena and some sustained damage. At least 1 foot of water covered Highway 242 near Lick Creek.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across portions of Phillips County including Helena-West Helena, Elaine, Marvell, Barton and Lake View. Numerous roads were closed and several homes were inundated with water. The police department in Marvell had three to four feet of water inside.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,450
Population (ACS)
$78K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | EM |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| 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 Phillips County, Arkansas?
178 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Phillips County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 98 recorded events — 55.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Phillips County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Phillips County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Phillips County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Phillips County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Phillips County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Phillips 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
- Perry County 407
- Pike County 440
- Ouachita County 497
- Poinsett County 398
- Newton County 359
- Polk County 533
Cite this page
“Phillips County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/phillips-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.