Polk County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 533 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #775 nationally and #26 in Arkansas.
533
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
73
Direct injuries
$190.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Polk County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Polk County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 164 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 53 events fall before 1990 and 480 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Polk County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $184.8M 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 Polk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 210 | 0 | $0 | 5 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 195 | 0 | $1.0M | 83 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 64 | 0 | $3.7M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 37 | 4 | $184.8M | F3 | 1950–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $212K | 0 | 2006–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2013 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $650K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Polk County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 30 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-01-13 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 8.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-11-13 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 42.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Polk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | Tornado | POTTER | 3 | 30 | $130.0M |
| Jan 13, 1950 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $3K | |
| Apr 11, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 13, 1993 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $50.0M | |
| May 30, 2013 | Tornado | COVE | 0 | 5 | $285K |
| Aug 4, 2011 | Lightning | MENA MUNI ARPT | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Nov 1, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Polk County. U.S. 71 was closed from Mena to the Scott County line. Arkansas 8 and Arkansas 370 were flooded in the eastern part of the county. A landslide closed Arkansas 88 a few miles west of Mena. A number of county roads were impassable; 30 bridges were damaged and 3 were washed out. For the 24-hour period ending at 7 AM on the 31st, Big Fork measured 7.55 inches of rain and Mena collected 7.07 inches. At the Mena airport, rainfall on the 30th measured 4.07 inches, followed by another 1.69 inches on the 31st. A fiber optic cable was knocked out of service. As a result, there was no landline phone service, cell phone service, or Internet service to most of the county for about 24 hours from the 30th into the 31st.
Excessive rainfall caused severe flash flooding in Polk County. During the afternoon and early evening hours, the Mena airport recorded 6.98 inches of rain in 7 hours. Of that amount, 3.89 inches fell in only two hours during the early evening. The storm total rainfall at the airport was 7.30 inches. More than 40 swift-water rescues became necessary. U.S. 71 was flooded south of Mena, and numerous other roads were barricaded. Some homes and businesses were sandbagged as a precaution, but water did enter a few structures. Numerous county roads and bridges were damaged, including pavement washed off roads, gravel washed away, and bridge approaches washed out. Other large rainfall totals in Polk County were 5.84 inches at Hatfield, 4.50 inches at Bogg Springs, and 3.88 inches at Cove.
Rainfall amounts included 6.72 inches at Bogg Springs and 6.48 inches at Mena. Numerous county roads flooded. A 70 foot-long bridge was washed out on Polk 7, a bridge was damaged on Polk 6, a 6-foot diameter culvert was washed away on Bunch Rd. in Wickes, and a section of Polk 257 was washed out. Water entered three businesses in Wickes and the Baptist camp flooded in Bogg Springs.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,361
Population (ACS)
$138K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Feb 5, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mena 147
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Polk County, Arkansas?
533 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $190.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Polk County?
Hail, with 210 recorded events — 39.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Polk County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 33 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Polk County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Polk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Polk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Polk 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
- Poinsett County 398
- Pope County 598
- Pike County 440
- Prairie County 400
- Phillips County 178
- Pulaski County 1,897
Cite this page
“Polk County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/polk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.