Climatology

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Multistory building with extensive damage
Brinkley Tornado of 1909
aka: Brinkley Cyclone
aka: Tornado Outbreak of March 8, 1909
Thirty-five people were killed and most of the town of Brinkley (Mo...
color-coded weather map "Tornado Touchdown Likelihood and Actual Touchdowns, 1950-2000."
Climate and Weather
Officially classified by climatologist Wladimir Köppen as having a humid sub-tropical climate, Arkansas is in...
Flooded area with trees and two pools as seen from above
Climate Change
aka: Global Warming
The spring of 2019 brought record flooding along the Arkansas River...
Black weather map of Southeastern U.S. with storms denoted in green and red
Derechos, Squall Lines, Downbursts/Microbursts, and "Rogue" Winds
While Arkansas makes national news far more often for its tornadoes, the state suffers its fair share of what ...
"Death-dealing wind and flame" newspaper clipping
Fort Smith Tornado of 1898
On January 11, 1898, a tornado tore through Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and killed more than fifty people; i...
"Storm and Flood; terrible destruction wrought by raging elements" - newspaper clipping
Izard County Tornado of 1883
A tornado tore through north-central Arkansas on November 21, 1883, killing around eleven people, injuring doz...
Headlines "Terrible Tornado. One Woman Killed and Ten Persons Injured. Many Homes Destroyed and Trees Uprooted"
Pulaski County Tornado of 1875
A strong tornado hit Pulaski County “eight miles down the river from Little Rock” on April 8, 1875, killin...
Sneed Tornado of 1929
aka: Tornado Outbreak of April 10, 1929
The only F5 tornado ever recorded in Arkansas destroyed the Sneed a...
Super-Cell Tornado Outbreak of 2011
A “super-cell storm” hit Arkansas on April 25, 2011, spawning seven tornadoes, generating widespread flood...
Headlines "Houses Are Crumpled As Though Toys Ten Killed and 35 Injured in Country Near Hot Springs Escapes are Remarkable Family in Cellar Sees Home Whirl Way---Sick Room Visitors Unhurt"
Thanksgiving Day Tornado Outbreak of 1915
At least twenty-two people were killed and scores were injured in an outbreak of tornadoes on Thanksgiving Day...
Piles of building debris in neighborhood partially damaged houses in background
Thanksgiving Day Tornado Outbreak of 1926
An outbreak of twenty-seven tornadoes killed fifty-one people and caused damage in twelve Arkansas counties on...
Headlines "Additional Local. The Great Storm. Fayetteville Almost Totally Destroyed. Two Persons Killed and Several Badly Wounded"
Tornado Outbreak of 1880
A series of tornadoes caused widespread damage in several Arkansas counties and killed at least seven people o...
Headlines "11 Die in Tragedy at Rural Arkansas Church" and "List of Casualties in Path of Storm"
Tornado Outbreak of 1939
Thirty people were killed and more than 200 injured in a deadly tornado outbreak that ravaged southern Arkansa...
Headline "Tornado Worst Disaster in Madison County History"
Tornado Outbreak of 1945
A series of tornadoes that struck Arkansas on April 12, 1945, killed twenty-two people and caused widespread d...
Tornado Outbreak of 1952
The tornado season of 1952 was a particularly eventful one throughout the state. Twenty-six tornadoes were rep...
University campus in foreground as seen from above
Tornado Outbreak of 2023
On March 31, 2023, a massive outbreak of tornadoes struck nine states across the country, from Arkansas and Io...
Tornado Outbreak of 2024
In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 26, 2024, during Memorial Day weekend, multiple tornadoes struck nor...
Tornado Outbreak of 2025
A violent storm system on March 14–15, 2025, spawned more than a dozen tornadoes in fourteen Arkansas counti...
Ruins of a destroyed house with furniture and pile of rubble
Tornado Outbreak of April 27, 2014
A series of tornadoes struck central Arkansas on the evening of April 27, 2014, killing sixteen people and cau...
Tornado Outbreak of December 14, 1987
Six people were killed, hundreds were injured, and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed by a tornad...
Tornado Outbreak of June 1, 1947
A tornado that began at the Union community in Jefferson County on June 1, 1947, killed thirty-four people and...
Tornado Outbreak of March 1, 1997
The tornado outbreak of March 1, 1997, was one of the deadliest in the history of the state of Arkansas. Sixte...
Tornado Outbreak of May 15, 1968
A series of tornadoes that struck Arkansas on May 15, 1968, killed forty-five people in four Arkansas counties...
Map of streets in Jonesboro with sites marked with numbers
Tornado Outbreak of May 26–27, 1973
A series of tornadoes on the night of May 26 and 27, 1973, caused major damage in five Arkansas counties and d...
"Wild work in Johnson County" newspaper clipping
Tornado Outbreak of November 20, 1883
A tornado outbreak on November 20, 1883, killed a man and fatally injured another man in Johnson County and ki...
Two story building with broken windows and doorway partially destroyed debris from house in surrounding area inscription on photograph "Cyclone June 5 16 Skating Rink Hot Springs Ark"
Tornado Outbreak of 1916
In June, August, and December of 1916, Arkansas was ravaged by storm systems that resulted in devastating and ...
Headlines "Storm's Death List in State to Total of 11" and "Many Sections Suffer Heavy Loss"
Tornado Outbreaks of 1938
A series of tornadoes killed twenty-one people, injured scores of others, and caused widespread damage across ...
Headlines "The Tornados Track. Fury of Last Thursday's Great Storm Becoming Known. John Neusch and Wife killed Near Hot Springs. Mr. Theodore Wilson Crushed in the Timbers of His Dwelling. Other Casualties of the Tornado--Relief for the Sufferers."
Tornado Outbreaks of April 1883
A series of tornadoes in April 1883 caused extensive damage in Garland, Hot Spring, Saline, Faulkner, and Fran...
White women and men with damaged buildings behind them, photograph labeled "Brinkley Cyclone"
Tornadoes
Tornadoes—destructive, violently spinning vortices of air extending from high within severe thunderstorms to...
Map of Arkansas counties with crisscrossing red lines
Tropical Cyclones
aka: Tropical Storms and Depressions
As defined by the National Hurricane Center, a tropical cyclone is ...
Steam powered ironclad boats attacking a fort
Weather in the Civil War
Drought, flooding, bone-chilling winters, and intense summer heat all had an impact on the civilian and milita...