Van Buren County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 445 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,081 nationally and #39 in Arkansas.
445
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
136
Direct injuries
$79.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Van Buren County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Van Buren County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 391 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Van Buren County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $72.3M 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 Van Buren County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 185 | 0 | $1.6M | 78 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 166 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1965–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $2.8M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 8 | $72.3M | F4 | 1955–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $22K | 0 | 1998–2011 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Van Buren County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 15 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 |
| 1984-03-15 | EF4 | 2 | 13 | 41.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-02 | EF3 | 5 | 24 | 45.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-04-30 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 20.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 10 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-02-14 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-03-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-08 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 20.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Van Buren County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2008 | Tornado | BEVERAGE TOWN | 3 | 77 | $22.8M |
| May 2, 2008 | Tornado | DAMASCUS | 3 | 6 | $10.0M |
| May 1, 2010 | Tornado | LIBERTY SPGS | 1 | 15 | $4.0M |
| Nov 16, 1988 | Tornado | 1 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 11, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Apr 10, 2013 | Tornado | PLEASANT GROVE | 0 | 5 | $3.5M |
| Nov 2, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| May 6, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved from Conway County, northeast of Cleveland, into Van Buren County, south-southeast of Beverage Town. A Red Cross survey indicated that 41 houses were destroyed, 26 suffered major damage, 29 had minor damage, and 30 others were affected. In addition, 21 mobile homes were destroyed, 4 suffered major damage, 2 had minor damage, and one other was affected. A boat factory was destroyed, and a church and a number of businesses were damaged. Three fatalities occurred: One in a house 3.2 miles south-southwest of Clinton, one at the boat factory in Clinton, and one in a mobile home 2.5 miles west of Shirley. The tornado continued into Stone County, south-southwest of Rushing.
This tornado moved out of Conway County, east of Center Ridge, and entered Van Buren County, west-southwest of Damascus. The tornado destroyed 17 permanent homes and 8 mobile homes. It caused major damage to 30 homes and minor damage to 19 homes. Four chicken houses were destroyed, 8 horses were killed, and one bull was killed. A feed mill was destroyed and three businesses received major damage. One church was destroyed and another was severely damaged. A 4 year-old girl and her grandparents were killed when their house was destroyed on Scroggins Creek Rd. (County Road 65). The tornado exited Van Buren County, east-northeast of Morganton, and moved into Cleburne County, northwest of Crossroads.
This tornado exited Conway County north of Cleveland and entered Van Buren County south-southeast of Liberty Springs. The tornado, rated EF3 in Van Buren County, caused extensive damage to the town of Scotland, especially in areas along Lo Gap Road. A 67 year-old woman was killed when she was thrown from her home. Approximately 15 others were injured. A damage assessment by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management indicated 13 homes (including houses and mobile homes) destroyed, 3 homes with major damage, 7 homes with minor damage, and 11 homes affected. In addition, Scotland's community center was destroyed, and barns, outbuildings, and a gas well were damaged. Thousands of trees and numerous power lines were blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,998
Population (ACS)
$136K
Median home value
25
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 |
| Jan 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Van Buren County, Arkansas?
445 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 8 direct deaths and $79.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Van Buren County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 185 recorded events — 41.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Van Buren County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Van Buren County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Van Buren County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Van Buren County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Van Buren County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Van Buren 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
- Union County 519
- Washington County 1,038
- Stone County 273
- White County 926
- Sharp County 368
- Woodruff County 593
Cite this page
“Van Buren County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/van-buren-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.