Grant County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 2, 2008Tornado$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado exited Dallas County, north-northeast of Carthage, and moved into Grant County, south-southeast of Leola. About 10 residences (houses and mobile homes) were destroyed, nine had major damage, and approximately 35 had minor damage. Several barns and outbuildings were destroyed. One church also suffered damage. The majority of the damage was in the area around the Crossroads community. There was extensive timber damage. One major power transmission line was knocked down, as were a number of other power lines and poles.

2. May 2, 2008Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado destroyed three mobile homes and caused major damage to a house. There was extensive damage to timber, both hardwoods and softwoods. Two large, steel, electrical transmission towers were knocked down. The tornado exited Grant County, northeast of Ico, and entered Saline County, south-southeast of East End.

3. Sep 2, 2008Tropical Depression, Grant$875,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees were down on two homes in Sheridan. A tree fell on a power line outside of the post office.

4. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Grant$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical Storm Ike moved into Arkansas on the evening of the 13th. By mid evening of the 13th, Ike was located in western Arkansas. Ike weakened to a tropical depression during the wee hours of the 14th, when it was located about 105 miles west-northwest of Little Rock. Ike exited northern Arkansas before sunrise on the 14th. In the Little Rock County Warning Area, wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph were common, and some gusts in the northern part of the state exceeded 50 mph. The strongest gusts measured were 67 mph at the Izard County Fairgrounds in Melbourne and 61 mph at the Newport airport. The strongest sustained wind measured was 46 mph at the Newport airport. Power was knocked out…

5. May 6, 2009Flash Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A number of county roads and state highways across the area were flooded. Several businesses in Sheridan and a skating rink outside of town suffered flood damage.

6. Dec 24, 2009Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding, which developed early on the morning of the 24th, became widespread areal flooding later in the morning on the 24th and continued into Christmas morning. Arkansas Highway 229 was closed south of Poyen.

7. Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Grant$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Although Isaac was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, it had weakened to a tropical depression by the time it reached Arkansas. Isaac passed through western Arkansas on the evening of the 30th and during the day on the 31st. Positions from the National Hurricane Center and the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: August 30th at 10 PM (CDT) 95 miles south-southwest of Little Rock, August 31st at 4 AM 95 miles west of Little Rock, August 31st at 10 AM 25 miles northeast of Fort Smith, and August 31st at 4 PM 40 miles east of Joplin, Missouri. Although Isaac had exited Arkansas by the end of the month, some effects, including bands of thunderstorms spiraling in toward its center,…

8. Dec 24, 2009Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain resulted in the development of flash flooding early on the morning of the 24th.

9. Dec 25, 2012Winter Storm, Grant$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Cooperative observers measured 6 inches of snow at Sheridan and 4 inches at Leola.

10. Oct 2, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$400,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Winds up to 85 mph blew through the Sheridan area. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Approximately 30 structures were damaged, three of which had major damage. Much of the structural damage was due to falling trees. An automated weather station, belonging to the Arkansas Forestry Commission, recorded a wind gust of 76 mph at the Sheridan airport. Numerous trees were blown down in other sections of Grant County.

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

108°F3 times, most recently Jul 31, 2012

All-time low

−8°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

82°F5 times, most recently Aug 1, 2012

Coldest day

11°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

8.08 inApr 5, 1997

Snowiest day

13.0 inFeb 18, 2021

Hottest year

2012mean 64.8°F

Coldest year

2014mean 59.2°F

Wettest year

200980.91 in

Driest year

200534.17 in

Snowiest season

19.0 in2020-21

Station Sheridan (USC00036562), 247 ft elevation, 1.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1977 to October 27, 2026; 95.9% 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 USC00036562.
• 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.