Hot Spring County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hot Spring County: 0.
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. Dec 25, 2012Winter Storm, Hot Spring$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Cooperative observers measured 7 inches of snow at Malvern and Bismarck, and 6 inches at DeGray Lake State Park.

2. Apr 27, 1998Lightning$2.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the county library building in Malvern, resulting in a fire. The fire initially started in the roof and then spread to the rest of the structure. Most of the building and the contents were destroyed. Initial estimates placed the damage at $2.25 million.

3. Sep 26, 1996Tornado$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down in Malvern. A packaging plant, car dealership and several other buildings in Malvern sustained damage. 15 people in Malvern received minor injuries. The tornado continued moving northeastward where it uprooted numerous trees along its path. The tornado exited Hot Spring County at 345 pm CDT. Damage along the track of the tornado was consistent with an F2 rating. Initial estimates placed the amount of damage at just over $2,000,000.

4. Mar 1, 1997Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Clark County tornado moved into Hot Spring County 4.5 miles south of Friendship at 247 pm CST. The tornado damaged or destroyed a number of homes and other buildings in Donaldson as it moved northeastward. The tornado passed just to the south and east of Malvern. However, some damage was noted at the Malvern Airport. The tornado downed many more trees and power lines, as well as a number of buildings before it lifted about 6.5 miles east of Malvern.Damage along the track of the tornado was mostly F2 and F3. However, some structural damage in the Donaldson area was consistent with an F4 rating.

5. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Hot Spring$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees and power lines were down across the county. Many county roads were blocked from fallen trees and debris. Trees and power lines were down in the Spencer and Thunderbird Road area.

6. Sep 2, 2008Tropical Depression, Hot Spring$530,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees were down on a power line in Rockport on Division Street. The police barricaded several highways while trees and power lines were removed. Trees were down in Magnet Cove along Arkansas Highway 171. Arkansas Highways 347, 270, and 84 were blocked by trees over power lines. Trees were down near Malvern. One large tree blocked traffic on Wilson Street near the intersection of Wilson and Pine Bluff Street.

7. Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Hot Spring$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. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Areal flooding was widespread in Arkansas, beginning early in May. The flooding was caused by large amounts of rain on April 30th, and May 1st and 2nd; high water flowing down from Missouri; and backwater flooding from rivers and large creeks and bayous. The Mississippi River was also experiencing unusually high stages, causing the White and Arkansas Rivers to back up near the rivers' confluence. Arkansas Farm Bureau estimated that more than 1 million acres of farmland were under water in the state. The flooding lasted well into May in many counties, and even into June in some of the counties in eastern Arkansas.

9. Sep 2, 2008Flash Flood$260,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several homes flooded and had to be evacuated. Some roads and bridges flooded. A bridge on Military Road was under water. Many people were stranded at their homes in the Glen Rose community due to high water.

10. Dec 23, 2009Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rain led to the development of flash flooding on the evening of the 23rd. Numerous county roads were flooded. One swift water rescue was necessary in Malvern. One lane of Arkansas Highway 7 was partially blocked at the intersection with Arkansas Highway 84.

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°FJul 29, 1930

All-time low

−11°FJan 18, 1930

Warmest night

86°FJul 27, 1886

Coldest day

14°FFeb 4, 1905

Wettest day

8.30 inJun 17, 1997

Snowiest day

12.0 inMar 16, 1892

Hottest year

1954mean 65.9°F

Coldest year

2014mean 58.9°F

Wettest year

197389.69 in

Driest year

190135.02 in

Snowiest season

17.5 in1917-18

Station Malvern (USC00034562), 300 ft elevation, 4.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1883 to October 27, 2026; 91.4% 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 USC00034562.
• 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.