Hempstead County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hempstead County: 5.
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.

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. Dec 12, 2000Ice Storm, Hempstead$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An arctic air mass spilled southward out of the central plains and into the lower Mississippi Valley. This cold, surface air mass was overrun by a warm humid air mass which combined with a strong upper level storm system across west Texas. the result was widespread freezing rain across all of southwest Arkansas. The precipitation was a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and some light snow northwest of a Texarkana to Prescott Arkansas line while further east the precipitation was all freezing rain. Ice accumulations of two to four inches were common. An estimated 235,000 residents lost electrical power due to ice covered power lines snapping or ice covered trees splitting and falling…

2. Mar 1, 1997Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage path began 1.8 miles north of Hope, AR moved northeast along hwy 174, crossed I-30 at exit 36 (Emmet, AR. exit) continued northeast on the west side of I-30 past Emmit then northeast 1/2 to 2 miles west of I-30 and Prescott, AR then crossed the Little Missouri River at the Nevada-Clark county line and continued northeast. Total path length about 18 miles with width average 25 yds to 1/2 mile. Numerous homes, buildings, mobile homes, and vehicles were destroyed or heavily damaged.

3. Jun 1, 2015Flood$770,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive heavy rainfall during the month of May resulted in very high water on the Red River bordering Little River, Hempstead, Miller and Lafayette Counties in Southwest Arkansas as well as Bowie County in Northeast Texas during the entire month of June. Rainfall amounts during the month of May across the Upper and Middle Red River basins of Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas totaled over 20 inches of rain. The Oklahoma state climatologist reported that May of 2015 was the all time wettest month of any month in state history. Lake Texhoma, a flood control reservoir to the Red River upstream of Arthur City, Texas rose to its highest pool stage on record early on June 1st at…

4. Mar 14, 2025Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 100 mph touched down late in the evening on March 14th, 2025, along County Road 5 near the intersection of County Road 160 and County Road 161 West. Large branches on trees were snapped, along with a few uprooted trees in this area. The tornado then moved slightly northeast, passing just north of County Road 161 West before then crossing Highway 29 South where the tornado continued to produce tree damage along with structural damage to several residences, mainly damage to roofing. As the tornado continued east, it damaged more structures, with a home experiencing roof damage, along with a camper and cattle trailer thrown…

5. Apr 4, 2011Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in northern Hempstead County Arkansas and concluded that storm damage was the result of an EF2 tornado. The tornado touched down at around 8:40 AM east of the town of Blevins near a chicken farm. Four large chicken houses were completely destroyed and hundreds of chickens killed. A small trailer on the south side of the chicken houses used as an office for the farm was picked up and thrown 20 yards north into one of the chicken houses. The occupant inside the trailer sustained minor injuries. Another worker on the farm also sustained minor injuries. Metal debris was found up to 3 miles east from the farm. The tornado continued…

6. Apr 5, 2025Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 115 mph touched down just north of Interstate 30 along Hempstead 2, and remained on the ground tracking east-northeast just north of I-30 to near Hope. The tornado was strongest on Hempstead 2 where widespread major tree damage yielded a peak wind speed of 115 mph. Tree damage remained significant through the Highway 15 and Hempstead 2 intersection and the maximum width was estimated to have been achieved near this latter intersection. After this intersection, the tornado began gradually weakening and decreasing in size, with the last trace of contact with the ground being minor tree damage on North Hazel Street on the north side…

7. Jun 2, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees downed all around the community of Perrytown, Arkansas. Many trees on homes in the community. One tree fell across a car injuring two people.

8. Apr 4, 2011Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in Hempstead County Arkansas and found evidence of an EF1 tornado north of Hope. The tornado first touched down along CR 248 where 9 out of 10 chicken houses lost their roofs���several trees were snapped and an tractor trailer was flipped over. The tornado continued north east crossing CR 211 where several trees were snapped or uprooted and metal roofing was peeled from a barn. Maximum winds are estimated at 85-95 mph.

9. Dec 1, 2018Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 107 mph touched down along County Road 1041 about one mile northwest of the Spring Hill community. Tree limbs were downed and a trunk was snapped off of a tree. More concentrated damage was found on County Road 174, where a barn's tin metal roof was completely removed, windows were blown out of two homes, shingles removed from roofs, trees fallen onto several homes, a shed was shifted off of its foundation, and a carport was destroyed. In addition, approximately 15 trees were either uprooted or snapped at their trunk. As the tornado continued northeast across Highway 29, it ripped the tin metal roof off of a heavy machinery shelter…

10. Oct 13, 2009Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous county roads were underwater and closed, including County Roads 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 54, 333, 57, 198, 118 west, 50, 56, 189, 205, 254, 246, 243 and at Allen's Ferry Landing. Many of these roads were washed out.

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

115°F2 times, most recently Aug 10, 1936

All-time low

−8°FJan 18, 1930

Warmest night

84°FAug 4, 2011

Coldest day

10°FJan 12, 1918

Wettest day

8.52 inAug 31, 1974

Snowiest day

15.0 inJan 28, 2000

Hottest year

1921mean 67.0°F

Coldest year

1979mean 59.7°F

Wettest year

200981.04 in

Driest year

200531.54 in

Snowiest season

19.0 in2020-21

Station Hope 3 Ne (USC00033428), 375 ft elevation, 3.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1892 to October 13, 2026; 95.7% 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 USC00033428.
• 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.