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White County, Arkansas severe weather history spans 926 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #187 nationally and #5 in Arkansas.
926
Recorded events
61
Direct deaths
454
Direct injuries
$46.1M
Property damage
The record
What the White County, Arkansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, White County, Arkansas severe weather history averages 12.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 300 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 110 events fall before 1990 and 816 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the White County, Arkansas record is tornado, responsible for 60 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $20.0M 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 White County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 359 | 1 | $3.3M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 263 | 0 | $100K | 5 | 1961–2025 |
| Flood | 107 | 0 | $20.0M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 87 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 83 | 60 | $20.0M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $63K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2018 |
Decade by decade
White County, Arkansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
82 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 60 touched down inside it and 22 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 50 | 325 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-27 | EF4 | 16 | 193 | 41.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 2 | 29 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-03-14 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 34.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 43.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in White County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | Tornado | 50 | 325 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 22, 1999 | Tornado | BEEBE | 2 | 29 | $0 |
| May 7, 1961 | Tornado | 2 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jan 21, 1999 | Tornado | FLOYD | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 25, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | BALD KNOB MUNI ARPT | 1 | 3 | $30K |
| Mar 15, 1959 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jan 22, 1999 | Tornado | SUNNYDALE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado exited Faulkner County 4.6 miles southeast of Naylor and entered White County 2.2 miles west-northwest of El Paso. The tornado caused massive timber damage along Jack Williams Rd., then caused damage to residences on Arkansas 5 and El Paso Rd. In White County, two houses and a mobile home were destroyed, another house had major damage, two had minor damage, and one was affected. A 55-year-old woman was killed in a mobile home on El Paso Rd. and one other person was injured.
Part of U.S. Highway 67/167 was closed due to flooding near Beebe. Arkansas Highway 36 also flooded, making Georgetown accessible only by boat. Part of the Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area was closed due to flooding. Flooding in White County continued into June.
Heavy rain caused the White River at Georgetown to go above major flood level. This was the highest the river had risen since the two major flood reduction reservoirs were built in the middle of the twentieth century. The river was above minor flood level to start the event and continued to rise due to heavy rains. Some surrounding fields had six or seven feet of water in them. The communities of Georgetown and Nimmo were cut off for more than a month, when backwaters from the White River covered Arkansas Highway 36 between West Point and Georgetown. During this time, the only access to the area was by boat. Homes and cabins in the Nimmo community were either cut off by high water or flooded. As many as 30 homes were damaged in Georgetown and Nimmo. Agricultural losses to winter wheat were noted. The flooding continued into April.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
77,838
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
29
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 |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Georgetown 193
- Judsonia 121
- Searcy 115
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in White County, Arkansas?
926 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 61 direct deaths and $46.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in White County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 359 recorded events — 38.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed White County?
82 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 60 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover White County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include White County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is White County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates White County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the White 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
- Washington County 1,038
- Woodruff County 593
- Van Buren County 445
- Yell County 598
- Union County 519
- Stone County 273
Cite this page
“White County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/white-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.