Howard County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Howard County: 12.
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. Dec 12, 2000Ice Storm, Howard$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. Apr 9, 2009Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado continued into Howard County from Sevier County Arkansas. The Dierks Lake area received significant damage near the Sevier, Howard County line. The Army Corps of Engineers office had significant roof damage to their office building with roofing material found in the trees adjacent to the building. The tornado was strongest in Howard County where the entire second story of a reinforced concrete building was decimated and strewn across the road. This was consistent with EF3 tornado damage with wind speeds of 140 mph. The tornado then moved into Pike County, Arkansas about 3.5 miles southwest of New Hope, Arkansas. The Arkansas governor declared Howard County a disaster…

3. May 10, 2015Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey was completed in Howard County Arkansas and it was determined that the damage was consistent with that of an EF2 tornado. The most extensive damage was located on the southwest side of Nashville at the D&J Mobile Home Park. Five mobile homes were completely destroyed. There were 2 fatalities in this mobile home park and 8 additional injuries. There were 40 to 60 homes suffering minor to moderate damage from the tornado...mainly from fallen trees. Other damage consisted of numerous trees snapped and/or uprooted with power lines downed as well. The Governor of Arkansas was given a tour of the damage areas on the ground and in the air.

4. May 12, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Pine, Oak, and Pecan trees over a 15 mile wide area were flattened along with 2 homes destroyed, 5 homes suffering major damage, 30 homes suffering minor damage, 3 mobile homes totally destroyed and one new motor home crushed by a fallen tree. No injuries or deaths occurred.

5. May 28, 1998Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous local and county roads were underwater and closed. Hwy 4 was completely underwater and washed out in two places. Nashville totalled 10.30 inches of rain. Numerous homes and businesses were also flooded.

6. Jun 2, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Nashville and surrounding rural areas of Howard County had numerous trees and power lines down. Many homes suffered wind damage as well as many chicken houses.

7. Apr 9, 2009Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado initially touched down near an open field, approximately 1.5 mile south of Centerpoint, along Coonridge Road. Travelling slightly east of due north, the tornado snapped and uprooted numerous pine and oak trees. The most significant damage occurred at a single-family residence 0.75 mile north of the touchdown, where the house suffered a considerable amount of damage. The garage, roof, and many supporting walls were removed from the foundation. All windows not completely blown out by the storm were still shattered. A barn adjacent to the house had a considerable loss of roofing material but, although shifted off its foundation, remained largely intact. Trees and…

8. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Howard$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Tropical Storm Ike resulted in widespread trees and power lines downed throughout all of Howard County, Arkansas. Power outages were widespread as well with numerous residents without power during the height of the storm and days afterward. A roof and a carport was damaged to some homes across the southern portion of the county and several barns and chicken houses were destroyed. A measured wind gust of 71 mph was reported by local Ham Radio Operators in the town of Nashville, Arkansas. A measured wind gust of 62 mph was reported by a local ham radio operator in Saratoga, Arkansas. A large tree fell across a home on Pump Springs Road in Nashville, Arkansas. Several…

9. Jan 7, 2010Cold/Wind Chill, Howard$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Bitterly cold temperatures swept into the region during the evening hours of January 7th with a hard freeze being observed nearly through the morning hours of January 10th. During this period of time...overnight and early morning low temperatures were well into the teens with daytime high temperatures struggling to make it to the freezing mark. The cold temperatures froze water pipes of many homes throughout the county. Some city and county water lines burst as well resulting in many residents either without water for a short period of time or with reduced water pressure. Southwest Arkansas had not experienced temperatures this cold since 1996 and the prolonged cold snap had not…

10. Jul 27, 2006Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous roads were underwater and impassable. Water entered several homes on the east side of town. Numerous cars were stalled out in the high water as well. Local law enforcement measured nearly 9 inches of rain since the rain began earlier that morning.

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

113°FAug 5, 2011

All-time low

−14°FFeb 16, 2021

Warmest night

82°F4 times, most recently Aug 7, 2011

Coldest day

12°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

10.30 inMay 28, 1998

Snowiest day

12.0 inJan 28, 2000

Hottest year

2012mean 65.9°F

Coldest year

1966mean 59.4°F

Wettest year

195788.93 in

Driest year

201034.92 in

Snowiest season

14.3 in2010-11

Station Nashville (USC00035112), 400 ft elevation, 4.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1899 to October 27, 2026; 98.2% 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 USC00035112.
• 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.