Bella Vista

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Benton County, the county that contains Bella Vista.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

The drought index is for Benton County, the county that contains Bella Vista.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 26, 2024Tornado$80.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed along SE Walton Blvd, west of SE Dodson Road. It quickly widened as it crossed I-49 moving to the southeast. The tornado continued to widen as it turned east, then east-northeast, crossing S Dixieland Road and Highway 94 at over 1.5 miles wide. It moved northeast after crossing N Arkansas Street, and dissipated in the hilly terrain east of Grambling Road. Nearly 600 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by this tornado, and thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted. Many power poles were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 115 to 125 mph.

2. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Benton$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Upper level disturbances passing through the Southern Plains resulted in precipitation development north of a stationary arctic front located in North Texas. Freezing rain began across the area during the early afternoon hours of the 26th and became more widespread and heavy through the afternoon and evening hours. The heaviest icing and most widespread power outages and tree damage occurred across portions of Washington, Madison, Benton, and Carroll Counties where one to two inch accumulations were reported. At the height of the storm, 75 percent of electric customers were without power in Benton County and nearly 100 percent were without power in Carroll County. Some remote,…

3. May 26, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong thunderstorm wind damaged hundreds of homes, blew down numerous power poles, and uprooted many trees in a broad swath from northwest of Bentonville, across much of Bentonville, to near Little Flock.

4. Mar 12, 2006Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The supercell cycled again and produced a third tornado that moved through the southern portion of Bentonville and Little Flock damaging or destroying 125 homes.

5. May 26, 2024Tornado$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the second segment of a two-segment tornado. The tornado intensified and widened as it moved into Benton County, across Coon Hollow Road and Carlton Drive, where homes and outbuildings were destroyed and tree damage was extensive. Several homes were destroyed and trees were stubbed and debarked on Highway 102. The tornado then turned north-northeast, remained stationary for several minutes north of Highway 102 (based on radar data), and then dissipated near Mt Zion Road. About 60 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the tornado. This tornado produced a tornadic debris signature from KINX, KSRX, and KSGF WSR-88Ds. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in…

6. Oct 20, 2019Tornado$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed on the north side of Siloam Springs. It moved along Highway 412, and then across the southern portion of the Siloam Springs airport, as well as a housing subdivision east of the airport. The roof was blown off a business, many homes and businesses sustained roof damage, several hangars at the airport were damaged, numerous trees were uprooted, and power poles were snapped. The tornado became very large and moved east-northeast from the east side of Siloam Springs. The roof of a wood-framed permanent home was entirely removed, and a large, well-built, wood-framed outbuilding was destroyed on Andria Circle, which are the primary damage indicators that resulted…

7. Mar 12, 2006Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The second tornado moved into western Benton County (from Delaware County, Oklahoma) south of Highway 12, where damage suggested the tornado strengthened considerably. A mobile home was destroyed, a pickup truck was rolled and destroyed, and several homes sustained major damage to their roofs near Bloomfield, where damage was rated at F2. Damage was more extensive in and around Gentry and Centerton where 75 homes were damaged or destroyed. Damage in this area was rated F3. Twelve people were injured by the tornado.See Storm Data for Oklahoma, Eastern for details regarding the Delaware County segment of this tornado.

8. Mar 12, 2006Hail$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large hail up to softball size caused extensive damage to nearly 600 homes and businesses.

9. May 26, 2024Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This was an anticyclonic tornado that was occurring simultaneously with another strong tornado northwest of Decatur. This tornado developed just west of WPA Road, south of Falling Springs Road. It moved southeast destroying outbuildings, snapping numerous trees and power poles, and damaging homes through Iva Road. It then turned east, and then northeast as it approached Highway 59. Homes were damaged, storage buildings were destroyed, and numerous trees were snapped. It moved northeast and dissipated after crossing Little John Road. About 20 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the tornado. This tornado produced a tornadic debris signature from the KINX, KSRX, and…

10. Aug 8, 2013Flash Flood$2.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several city streets were closed due to widespread flooding. Significant damage to roads and bridges occurred in this portion of the county. At least six homes were damaged by flood waters. Numerous water rescues were necessary.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

114°F2 times, most recently Aug 3, 2011

All-time low

−29°FFeb 13, 1905

Warmest night

86°FAug 13, 1932

Coldest day

0°FFeb 12, 1899

Wettest day

8.42 inOct 6, 2019

Snowiest day

17.0 inFeb 9, 2011

Hottest year

2012mean 63.4°F

Coldest year

1912mean 55.6°F

Wettest year

201984.86 in

Driest year

196322.28 in

Snowiest season

33.0 in1978-79

Station Gravette (USC00032930), 1,260 ft elevation, 10.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1898 to September 29, 2026; 97.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Benton County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00032930.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.