Washington County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 1,038 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #127 nationally and #3 in Arkansas.
1,038
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
84
Direct injuries
$106.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 14.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 296 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 131 events fall before 1990 and 907 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Arkansas record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $62.2M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 431 | 0 | $62.2M | 5 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 406 | 2 | $3.0M | 75 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 130 | 5 | $8.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 53 | 5 | $32.2M | F3 | 1954–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $406K | 0 | 1998–2014 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-12-31 | EF3 | 4 | 10 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-06-11 | EF3 | 1 | 45 | 51.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-30 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-11-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 40.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-11-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 32.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | Tornado | CINCINNATI | 4 | 7 | $1.5M |
| Jun 12, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 44 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 22, 2006 | Lightning | PRAIRIE GROVE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 5, 2022 | Flash Flood | FAYETTEVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Flash Flood | PRAIRIE GROVE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Flash Flood | SPRINGDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 21, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPRINGDALE MUNI ARPT | 1 | 0 | $2K |
| Apr 25, 2011 | Flash Flood | MOFFIT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall resulted in several roads in this area becoming flooded. A vehicle driven into rapidly flowing flood waters across Highway 265 between Hubbard Road and Onda Mountain Road stalled. The driver exited the vehicle and was washed downstream, drowning in the flood waters. An 11 year old boy survived this incident.
Heavy rain caused flooding which resulted in roads being closed in the central portion of Washington County. A 48 year old man tried to drive through a flooded low water crossing near West Fork and his vehicle became stranded. He was washed downstream and was found 7 miles away in the White River.
Several rounds of thunderstorms pelted Washington county during the April 20s. For the 72 hour period ending a 7 am cdt Fayetteville and Prairie Grove has 7.41 and 7.33 inches of rain respectively. This heavy rain caused rounds of flash flooding from the evening of April 22nd to the daytime hours of April 24th. Numerous county roads were flooded and damaged during that time span. Damage to the roads was estimated to be in excess of $6 million. Roads were not the only things damaged. A train track near Greenland was washed out. Several 40 foot metal shipping containers were washed into the Illinois river near Hogeye. As many as 40 to 50 homes sustained damage. Many of those homes were in the Goshen and Elkins areas. On April 25th, the governor of Arkansas declared the county a disaster area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
256,765
Population (ACS)
$298K
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 |
| Sep 13, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Fayetteville 188
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Arkansas?
1,038 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $106.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Hail, with 431 recorded events — 41.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Van Buren County 445
- White County 926
- Union County 519
- Woodruff County 593
- Stone County 273
- Yell County 598
Cite this page
“Washington County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.