Monroe County

Every recorded tornado

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

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 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, 2011Flood$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Parts of Arkansas Highways 1, 17, 86, 146, and 302 were closed due to flooding. Some parts of the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area were closed due to flooding. Hundreds of people were evacuated south of Clarendon. In the southern part of the county, communities that were flooded included East Lake, Maddox Bay, Green Lake, and Indian Bay. Flooding also occurred at Deep Elm and Lawrenceville. Altogether, about 750 residences in Monroe County were flooded. Flooding in Monroe County continued into June.

2. Mar 18, 2008Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused the White River at Clarendon to go above major flood level and to the highest stage since May, 1973. The river was in minor flood at the beginning of the month and continued to rise due to the heavy rains. Approximately 10 county roads and part of Arkansas Highway 302 north of Clarendon were closed because of flooding. Residents of Maddox Bay and Indian Bay were evacuated due to flooding. Numerous homes, possibly as many as 40, flooded at Maddox Bay, Indian Bay, and at St. Charles. There were some minor agricultural losses, such as to winter wheat. The flooding continued into April.

3. Jun 29, 2014Flash Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall measured 7.25 inches 6 miles southwest of Brinkley, while Brinkley collected 7.20 inches of rain. About 40 houses were flooded in Brinkley, primarily in the Snow Addition. Several houses had to be evacuated in the Zent area as well. The Brinkley airport flooded, as did some of the hangars. Parts of U.S. 49, U.S. 70, Arkansas 86, Arkansas 238, and Arkansas 302 flooded, along with numerous county roads. Farm fields were flooded, as well. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service reported that 15,000 acres of rice, soybeans, and corn were flooded in the county.

4. Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Monroe$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,…

5. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Monroe$375,000
   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…

6. Oct 17, 2012Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 tornado moved through downtown Clarendon and areas adjacent to downtown. A video rental store/bait shop was badly damaged. A highway sign was thrown through a front window, with the sign landing on the floor of the store. Altogether, two windows and the front door were blown out, and most of the rear of the building was destroyed. No one at the store was injured, as it had closed just 5 to 10 minutes before the tornado arrived. A gas station's canopy was damaged, and a motel had its canopy blown away. A large carport was blown on top of an 18-wheeler. The roof was blown off a barbershop, and metal from the roof knocked over the town's fire siren. Large trees, power poles,…

7. Jan 22, 2012Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large shed was flipped over the top of a quonset-shaped farm shop. Large holes were ripped into the sides of the shop. An irrigation pivot was overturned, tin was torn off tractor sheds and other types of sheds, and power poles and trees were blown down. The tornado exited Monroe County south-southeast of Palmer and entered Phillips County southwest of Postelle.

8. Apr 26, 2011Flood$275,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   From the 24th through the 27th, the arrival of a slow-moving cold front and several low pressure areas aloft triggered several rounds of thunderstorms. Tornadoes, severe storms, and flash flooding resulted. Widespread areal flooding followed the flash flooding. Some of this flooding was due to heavy rain, while some of it was caused by water from rivers, creeks, and bayous backing up onto the land. On the evening of the 25th, devastating tornadoes affected several areas in central Arkansas. More than 140,000 electric customers in Arkansas lost power. Heavy rains during this period were the beginning of the Great Flood of 2011 in Arkansas. Much of the flooding lasted well into May,…

9. Jan 29, 2008Strong Wind, Monroe$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong cold front approached from the Plains during the morning of January 29th. The front arrived during the early afternoon hours, and winds shifted to the northwest. Wind speeds of 30 to 40 mph were common, with gusts over 50 mph. Approximately 80,000 power outages occurred.

10. Apr 1, 2008Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Flooding which began in March became worse in Monroe County as additional heavy rain fell in the White River watershed. The Clarendon gage crested at 33.78 feet, highest since April, 1973. Homes, cabins, and businesses were flooded in Clarendon and in communities along the river, such as Indian Bay, Lawrenceville, and Aberdeen. Arkansas Highway 302 north of Clarendon was closed by high water. Most of the damages were incurred in March, so the damage amounts for April were much less. High stages on the Mississippi River compounded the high water problems on the White River. The Clarendon gage remained above flood stage into May.

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

109°F2 times, most recently Jul 31, 2012

All-time low

−8°FJan 8, 1942

Warmest night

87°FJul 28, 1997

Coldest day

10°FJan 15, 2024

Wettest day

6.92 inMay 27, 1955

Snowiest day

12.0 inJan 7, 1988

Hottest year

2023mean 65.4°F

Coldest year

1978mean 59.3°F

Wettest year

195788.72 in

Driest year

194330.73 in

Snowiest season

17.3 in1959-60

Station Des Arc (USC00031968), 200 ft elevation, 20.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1903 to January 1, 2026; 89.4% 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 USC00031968.
• 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.