Perry County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Perry$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The county's emergency manager reported 1/4 inch of ice had accumulated at Perryville by 6:00 AM.

2. Nov 27, 2005Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong tornado touched down over southern Perry County. Winds were estimated at 160 mph. The tornado initially tracked through the Ouachita National Forest where hundreds of trees were either snapped off or blown down. Once emerging from the forest area, the tornado downed eleven large steel towers on a 500 kilovolt power line. As the tornado continued tracking to the northeast, a sawmill was destroyed, along with several houses. Several dozen other houses sustained damage and several mobile homes were overturned. Numerous vehicles were damaged or destroyed, as well as a number of barns and outbuildings. Several chicken houses also sustained damage. Numerous trees and power…

3. Dec 25, 2012Winter Storm, Perry$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowfall reports included 18 inches at Perryville (public report), 17.5 inches at Perry (cooperative observer), 15 inches at Union Valley (public report), and 14 inches at Houston (public report).

4. May 1, 2011Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Part of Arkansas Highway 216 was closed due to flooding.

5. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Perry$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…

6. Sep 2, 2008Tropical Depression, Perry$725,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical Depression Gustav entered the southwest corner of Arkansas on the evening of the 2nd and lingered in the southwest part of the state for nearly 24 hours. By mid-evening on the 3rd, Gustav was about 75 miles west of Little Rock. Gustav exited northwest Arkansas on the morning of the 4th. During its passage across Arkansas, Gustav produced excessive rainfall, strong winds, flash flooding and river flooding, and one tornado. In the Little Rock County Warning Area, wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph were common. The strongest gust measured was 48 mph at Little Rock National Airport/Adams Field. Power was knocked out to more than 100,000 electric customers. Wind damage was estimated…

7. Apr 25, 2011Tornado$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The worst damage from this tornado occurred at Heifer International's ranch. Several buildings had their roofs torn off and thrown into adjacent fields and several hay barns were destroyed. No animals at the ranch were harmed. Otherwise, several houses had major roof damage and some other houses had lesser amounts of roof damage. Dozens of trees were snapped off or blown over. Several vehicles were badly damaged by falling trees. Barns and outbuildings were damaged. A number of power lines were blown down.

8. Mar 19, 2008Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused the Fourche LaFave River near Houston to go above moderate flood level and crest at the 7th highest crest of record. Agricultural losses in winter wheat, sod, and livestock were noted. County roads were damaged and Arkansas Highway 300 had water over it for a prolonged period of time.

9. Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Perry$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,…

10. Apr 26, 2011Flood$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Widespread areal flooding occurred. Part of Arkansas Highway 216 was closed from the afternoon of the 27th through the end of the month.

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 4, 2011

All-time low

−15°FFeb 2, 1951

Warmest night

85°FJul 13, 1930

Coldest day

15°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

7.10 inMay 16, 2003

Snowiest day

12.5 inDec 26, 2012

Hottest year

1938mean 65.1°F

Coldest year

1993mean 58.7°F

Wettest year

200978.54 in

Driest year

196323.67 in

Snowiest season

15.8 in1959-60

Station Morrilton (USC00034938), 340 ft elevation, 11.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1919 to October 27, 2026; 97.6% 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 USC00034938.
• 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.