Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Sharp; Randolph; Independence; Lawrence; Jackson; Conway; Faulkner; White; Woodruff; Perry; Garland; Saline; Pulaski; Lonoke; Prairie; Monroe; Hot Spring; Grant; Jefferson; Arkansas; Lincoln; Desha; Drew; Southern Johnson County; Southern Pope County; Western and Northern Logan County; Northwest Yell County; Southern and Eastern Logan County; Yell Excluding Northwest
Sharp County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 368 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,391 nationally and #50 in Arkansas.
368
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$88.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Sharp County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sharp County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 128 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 345 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sharp County, Arkansas record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $57.4M 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 Sharp County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 135 | 1 | $3.1M | 87 | 1979–2024 |
| Hail | 110 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1964–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 62 | 2 | $4.2M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 26 | 0 | $23.9M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $57.4M | F4 | 1956–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Sharp County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-02-05 | EF4 | 13 | 139 | 121.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 116.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-24 | EF4 | 0 | 11 | 63.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 0 | 81.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-03-05 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 46.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sharp County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRANGE | 1 | 0 | $125K |
| Sep 23, 2006 | Flash Flood | WILLIFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2006 | Flash Flood | HARDY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | HORSESHOE BEND | 0 | 15 | $30.0M |
| Nov 6, 2005 | Tornado | SITKA | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2003 | Flash Flood | HARDY OZARK ACRES AR | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | Tornado | Poughkeepsie to 4 SE | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Dec 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved out of Izard County, south of Horseshoe Bend, and into Sharp County, northwest of Evening Shade. According to a survey by the Red Cross, 30 houses were destroyed, 7 suffered major damage, 17 had minor damage, and 11 others were affected. In addition, 10 mobile homes were destroyed, 1 had major damage, 2 had minor damage, and 1 was affected. Two apartments had minor damage and two others were affected. At least 40 businesses along U.S. Highway 62/412 in Highland were damaged or destroyed. Also, a church was destroyed and vehicles were overturned along the highway. The fire department in Highland lost most of its building and equipment. The Highland High School had minor damage. The tornado finally ended its long path northeast of Highland.
Portions of Hardy were flooded, and U.S. Highway 63 had 2 to 3 feet of water over it. Homes along the Spring River were evacuated. Numerous roads in the county were barricaded. Barnes Road, Hewlett Road, Piney Creek Road, and Bear Creek Road were blocked due to bridges being underwater. U.S. Highway 62 was closed at its intersection with Arkansas Highway 175 five miles south of Hardy. A gas station in Cherokee Village had fuel tanks floating out of the ground. There were 50 evacuations. A car was swept off the road in Williford; the driver was rescued.
Several homes were severely damaged or even destroyed in the Highland area. Two mobile homes were a total loss. A shop was severely damaged, along with a few homes with their roofs torn off. Several trees and power lines were also blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,773
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
26
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 |
| May 8, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hardy 156
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sharp County, Arkansas?
368 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $88.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sharp County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 135 recorded events — 36.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sharp County?
28 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 Sharp County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sharp County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sharp County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sharp County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sharp 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
- Sevier County 469
- Stone County 273
- Sebastian County 1,038
- Union County 519
- Searcy County 303
- Van Buren County 445
Cite this page
“Sharp County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/sharp-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.