Union County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 519 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #810 nationally and #27 in Arkansas.
519
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$42.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Union County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Union County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 6.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 141 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 442 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Union County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $36.9M 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 Union County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 228 | 0 | $2.0M | 85 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 172 | 0 | $15K | 4 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 62 | 0 | $970K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 3 | $36.9M | F3 | 1950–2023 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $340K | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Union County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
47 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-01-12 | EF3 | 2 | 13 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-03 | EF3 | 2 | 4 | 60.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-02-24 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-03 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-12-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Union County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13, 2005 | Tornado | JUNCTION CITY | 2 | 13 | $3.0M |
| Dec 3, 1978 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| Feb 24, 2007 | Tornado | JUNCTION CITY | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Mar 28, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| May 26, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | EL DORADO | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Jun 11, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | STRONG | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Feb 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | EL DORADO | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Apr 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | EL DORADO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Trees were toppled throughout the area with damage to many homes and businesses and powerlines. The Noalmark Broadcasting tower was blown down and a tree fell across a home totally demolishing it. Residents were evacuated after a nitric acid tank was blown down near the El Dorado Chemical Plant. The spill residue was contained and neutralized on-site. There was one injury reported when a man was trapped inside his car after a tree fell on it.
Trees were downed in the community of Junction City, Arkansas blocking four city streets. Damage was also reported in town where trees were downed at the intersection of North Newton and Oakhurst Boulevard. Nearly 20 trees were downed within a quarter mile stretch at Ebenezer Road were several structures also received damage. Two mobile homes were destroyed. Also, a home was damaged on Smith Street in El Dorado, Arkansas. Trees also fell on two vehicles across the county and a canopy was damaged at the Yocum Elementary School.
Police Department reported that several roads across the city had nearly one foot of water on them. Water was beginning to enter some parked cars in some areas. Between 1100 am and noon, the local police department was busy blocking badly flooded streets and helping people who had become stranded inside stalled cars. Water reached the windows of some stalled vehicles and covered the hoods of others. Flooding was particularly bad on 19th Street just east of College Avenue and at the Mellor Park Mall. Other streets that reported flooding were Timerlane, Grove, West Block, Junction City Road, Hillsboro, North West Avenue and Mount Holly Road. Water was high enough to go into a business located on North West Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,900
Population (ACS)
$121K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Dec 3, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- El Dorado 200
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Union County, Arkansas?
519 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $42.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Union County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 228 recorded events — 43.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Union County?
47 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Union County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Union County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Union County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Union County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Union 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
- Stone County 273
- Van Buren County 445
- Sharp County 368
- Washington County 1,038
- Sevier County 469
- White County 926
Cite this page
“Union County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/union-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.