Crittenden County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Crittenden County: 6.
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.

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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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 1, 2010Flash Flood$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain, up to 10 inches, fell across the West Memphis and Marion area. Numerous streets and roads were flooded. At least 101 homes sustained at least minor damage from the flooding.

2. May 2, 2008Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado tracked northeast into Crittenden County from Cross County. The tornado produced a nearly continuous 12 mile track from the county line to Heafer. After crossing into Crittenden County, the tornado struck the town of Earle and produced extensive EF-3 damage. The tornado severely damaged a high school, a church and a number of homes. A large warehouse was also struck and sustained extensive damage. Additional significant damage to other structures occurred between Earle and Heafer. There were 4 serious injuries and several minor injuries reported in Earle. As the tornado moved into Heafer, the tornado produced EF-2 damage. Significant damage occurred to a number of homes…

3. Mar 4, 2018Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall caused the Tyronza River to flood in Earle. Residents were evacuated from a neighborhood with 20 homes.

4. Nov 9, 2002Tornado$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado moved into Crittenden county from Cross county and continued to move northeast. The tornado produced some damage near the town of Heafer. A mobile home and 2 farm shops were destroyed. A church and parsonage, three mobile homes and five houses were also damaged. The tornado then continued across the county and reached the town of Gilmore. Fourteen mobile homes were destroyed or suffered major damage. Nineteen houses and several cars were also damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county. The tornado eventually moved out of the county near Menesha and entered Mississippi county.

5. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Mississippi River rose to record levels by the beginning and middle part of May. Levees held back the water thus only a few homes along the river were flooded and sustained damage. Several thousand acres of agriculture fields were flooded. Several roads were flooded and/or damaged. The river remained above flood stage through the end of the month.

6. Jun 29, 2014Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain across the southwest sections of West Memphis forced the evaculationa of some homes due to high water.

7. May 25, 2011Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down in West Memphis and a large storage building received major roof damage with numerous contents removed and a few walls crippled. A mobile home received extensive damage and a tree fell on one residence. A few other tree limbs were snapped and a power pole was knocked down just east of the intersection of Highway 70 and Club Road. The estimated peak wind was 90 mph.

8. Mar 31, 2023Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado that caused EF-3 damage in Wynne, Arkansas moved into Crittenden County just north of Earle causing EF-2 damage along Watson Road. Between Earle, AR, and the Mississippi River, very few damage indicators aided in the observed strength as it traversed mostly farmland. There were between 20 to 30 center pivot irrigation systems that were overturned along this area. The tornado then tracked into the oxbows of the Mississippi River while crossing into Tipton County. Peak winds were estimated at 125 mph in Crittenden County.

9. Jun 27, 2013Lightning$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lightning strike caused a fire at an apartment complex on West Harrison Street in West Memphis. The fire caused extensive damage.

10. May 27, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Tree fell on a house in Marion. Trees and powerlines down county wide.

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

106°FMay 31, 1977

All-time low

−12°FDec 24, 1983

Warmest night

85°FJul 10, 1966

Coldest day

11°FJan 18, 1994

Wettest day

7.25 inDec 25, 1987

Snowiest day

14.0 inMar 22, 1968

Hottest year

2025mean 64.1°F

Coldest year

2009mean 58.8°F

Wettest year

197471.36 in

Driest year

196329.24 in

Snowiest season

21.0 in1984-85

Station W Memphis (USC00037712), 235 ft elevation, 4.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1962 to October 27, 2026; 95.1% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00037712.
• 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.