83
Recorded events
60
Direct deaths
440
Direct injuries
$20.0M
Property damage
Tornado in White County, Arkansas: 83 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #103 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in White County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in White County is the 2000s, when 25 of the county's 83 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the White County archive, tornado makes up 9.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #103 for this hazard and #3 within Arkansas, putting it in the 96.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in White County with 17 recorded events, while Jul is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 14.6 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-27 | EF4 | 41.1 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 8.0 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-03-14 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 33 yd | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 43.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 34.9 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 19.0 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 13.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 24.0 mi | 350 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF3 | 32.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 50 | 325 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 22, 1999 | BEEBE | F3 | 2 | 29 | $0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F2 | 2 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jan 21, 1999 | FLOYD | F2 | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 25, 1973 | F2 | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| Mar 15, 1959 | F3 | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jan 22, 1999 | SUNNYDALE | F2 | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EL PASO | EF2 | 1 | 1 | $450K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2025 | EL PASO | EF1 | $0 |
| Nov 15, 2020 | ROMANCE | EF1 | $40K |
| Apr 14, 2018 | EL PASO | EF0 | $2K |
| Apr 30, 2017 | CONANT | EF1 | $80K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | KENSETT | EF2 | $70K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | MORNING STAR | EF1 | $50K |
| Apr 28, 2014 | BARE STONE | EF1 | $40K |
| Apr 28, 2014 | STEPROCK | EF0 | $100K |
| Apr 28, 2014 | JOY | EF2 | $1.4M |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EL PASO | EF2 | $450K |
Other hazards here
More from White County
- Thunderstorm Wind 359
- Hail 263
- Flood 107
- Flash Flood 87
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.
An EF2 tornado struck the area around Center Hill. This was the second of five tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm. According to the American Red Cross, 4 houses and 11 mobile homes were destroyed, 4 mobile homes suffered major damage, 5 houses and 3 mobile homes had minor damage, and 2 houses and 3 mobile homes were affected. Numerous trees were blown down, and vehicles and outbuildings were destroyed. One person was injured.
The tornado knocked down or snapped off hundreds of trees. Many houses suffered roof damage, primarily from falling trees. Damage to roofs also occurred at the Beebe schools. Roofs were blown off several outbuildings, a few cars were crushed by falling trees, and quite a few power lines were blown down. The greatest amount of damage occurred in Beebe.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in White County, Arkansas?
83 tornado events are recorded in White County between 1952 and 2025, causing 60 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in White County?
The strongest tornado on record in White County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for White County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in White County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/white-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.