Helena, AR Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Helena is lower than Arkansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Helena is much lower than Arkansas average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #518
| Helena, AR | 0.08 |
| Arkansas | 0.57 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Helena, AR | 0.0000 |
| Arkansas | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #616
| Helena, AR | 182.47 |
| Arkansas | 272.21 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 1,722 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Helena, AR were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 5 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 22 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 158 | Hail: | 545 | Heat: | 25 | Heavy Snow: | 20 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 11 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 17 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 851 | Tropical Storm: | 2 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 29 | Winter Weather: | 14 |
| Other: | 23 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Helena, AR.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Helena, AR.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Helena, AR.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 84 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Helena, AR.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.5 | 1954-02-27 | 2 | 34°31'N / 90°41'W | 34°33'N / 90°39'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Phillips |
| 5.7 | 1978-12-03 | 2 | 34°31'N / 90°36'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Phillips | |
| 7.8 | 1956-04-29 | 3 | 34°33'N / 90°46'W | 34°35'N / 90°44'W | 3.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Phillips |
| 9.8 | 1963-04-29 | 3 | 34°25'N / 90°34'W | 34°26'N / 90°28'W | 5.70 Miles | 440 Yards | 5 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Coahoma |
| 12.0 | 1964-11-19 | 2 | 34°18'N / 90°51'W | 34°21'N / 90°45'W | 6.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Phillips |
| 13.2 | 1976-04-24 | 3 | 34°17'N / 90°41'W | 34°21'N / 90°24'W | 16.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Coahoma |
| 14.0 | 1964-11-19 | 2 | 34°21'N / 90°45'W | 34°11'N / 90°35'W | 14.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Coahoma |
| 14.3 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°16'N / 90°46'W | 34°17'N / 90°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2K | 0K | Phillips |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado crossed over from Burke Landing in Coahoma County Mississippi continuing to weaken and lifted shortly thereafter. A few trees were knocked down. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of July 30th, 2009. A low pressure center developed along the front as the front moved into the area. The low pressure helped to spawn several tornadoes across the Mid-South. In addition, other storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding into the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 15.0 | 1975-02-22 | 2 | 34°33'N / 90°29'W | 34°36'N / 90°25'W | 5.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Tunica |
| 15.1 | 1965-02-11 | 2 | 34°34'N / 91°02'W | 34°36'N / 90°47'W | 14.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Phillips |
| 16.1 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°15'N / 90°50'W | 34°16'N / 90°46'W | 4.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0K | Coahoma |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado continued northeast crossing over from Phillips County, Arkansas into Coahoma County, Mississippi and weakend. The tornado produced EF-1 damage near Burke Landing. Two hunting cabins were heavily damaged due to trees falling. An additional three to four houses were damaged. Several trees were knocked down in the area as well. The tornado continued northeast crossing back into Phillips County, Arkansas. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of July 30th, 2009. A low pressure center developed along the front as the front moved into the area. The low pressure helped to spawn several tornadoes across the Mid-South. In addition, other storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding into the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 16.1 | 1978-05-12 | 2 | 34°19'N / 90°31'W | 34°19'N / 90°25'W | 5.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Coahoma |
| 16.7 | 1953-12-05 | 2 | 34°12'N / 90°44'W | 34°17'N / 90°50'W | 8.20 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 11 | 25K | 0 | Coahoma |
| 19.2 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°13'N / 90°53'W | 34°15'N / 90°50'W | 4.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10K | 0K | Phillips |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado crossed into Phillips County from Coahoma County, Mississippi. The tornado moved northeast through a wooded area crossing the Mississippi River back into Coahoma County, Mississippi. Several trees were knocked down. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of July 30th, 2009. A low pressure center developed along the front as the front moved into the area. The low pressure helped to spawn several tornadoes across the Mid-South. In addition, other storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding into the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 19.7 | 1955-10-28 | 2 | 34°12'N / 90°34'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Coahoma | |
| 21.1 | 1978-12-03 | 2 | 34°46'N / 90°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lee | |
| 21.2 | 1976-04-24 | 3 | 34°21'N / 90°24'W | 34°22'N / 90°16'W | 7.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Quitman |
| 21.9 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°12'N / 90°55'W | 34°13'N / 90°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0K | Coahoma |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado crossed into the Jackson Point area from Phillips County, Arkansas and continued northeast. Several trees were snapped in the area. Approximately, 50-55 residences including mobile homes, houses, and hunting camps were damaged or destroyed. The tornado continued northeast crossing back into Phillips County, Arkansas. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of July 30th, 2009. A low pressure center developed along the front as the front moved into the area. The low pressure helped to spawn several tornadoes across the Mid-South. In addition, other storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding into the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 23.3 | 1978-05-12 | 2 | 34°19'N / 90°25'W | 34°19'N / 90°13'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Quitman |
| 23.7 | 1962-04-28 | 2 | 34°26'N / 90°24'W | 34°47'N / 90°12'W | 26.70 Miles | 1760 Yards | 1 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Tunica |
| 23.8 | 2001-11-24 | 2 | 34°09'N / 90°27'W | 34°27'N / 90°11'W | 27.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 2 | 16 | 5.0M | 0 | Quitman |
| Brief Description: The tornado touched down in the western part of the county near Walnut and tracked northeast eventually crossing into Panola county. Two women were killed when the tornado destroyed their homes. Numerous buildings were destroyed in the county. A cotton plant was damaged just west of the town of Belen. Over 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. F73PH, F61PH | |||||||||||
| 24.1 | 1983-05-14 | 2 | 34°43'N / 90°23'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Tunica | |
| 26.0 | 1970-11-19 | 3 | 34°47'N / 90°58'W | 34°49'N / 90°50'W | 8.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 27 | 250K | 0 | Lee |
| 27.3 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°09'N / 91°05'W | 34°12'N / 90°55'W | 10.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0K | Phillips |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down in Arkansas County roughly 5 miles south of Tichnor. The tornado moved northeast crossing into Phillips County. The tornado knocked down around one thousand trees in the White River National Wildlife Refuge. From there, the tornado traveled northeast on a continuous path producing damage near Lundell. The Phillips County Airport sustained damage to several buildings. One brick building had major roof damage while another building was completely destroyed. An airport hangar was damaged as well. Several airplanes received damage. Another building sustained minor damage. Several trees were snapped off and many power lines were knocked down in the area. The tornado continued northeast crossing into Coahoma County, Mississippi near Jackson Point. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of July 30th, 2009. A low pressure center developed along the front as the front moved into the area. The low pressure helped to spawn several tornadoes across the Mid-South. In addition, other storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding into the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 28.2 | 1974-07-16 | 2 | 34°04'N / 90°36'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Coahoma | |
| 28.6 | 2001-02-24 | 2 | 34°07'N / 91°02'W | 34°11'N / 90°58'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 50K | 0 | Phillips |
| Brief Description: The tornado moved into the southeast corner of Phillips county from northern Desha county. The tornado struck several mobile homes just southwest of Mosby. Two mobile homes and a farm shop were destroyed. Two people from one of the mobile homes were injured. | |||||||||||
| 28.9 | 2001-11-24 | 2 | 34°27'N / 90°12'W | 34°33'N / 90°09'W | 7.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 12 | 2.0M | 0 | Panola |
| Brief Description: The tornado moved into the far western part of Panola county from Quitman county and tracked northeast eventually moving into Tate county. One girl was killed when the mobile home where she was staying was destroyed. A cluster of homes and a Baptist church were destroyed. In all 35 homes damaged or destroyed. F10MH | |||||||||||
| 29.2 | 1955-06-22 | 2 | 34°09'N / 90°25'W | 34°30'N / 89°59'W | 34.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Quitman |
| 29.4 | 1964-11-19 | 2 | 34°12'N / 90°18'W | 34°24'N / 90°07'W | 17.30 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Quitman |
| 30.8 | 1973-11-23 | 2 | 34°46'N / 91°07'W | 34°48'N / 91°01'W | 6.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lee |
| 31.2 | 1975-03-12 | 2 | 34°04'N / 90°26'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Tallahatchie | |
| 31.3 | 2001-02-24 | 2 | 34°05'N / 91°01'W | 34°07'N / 90°59'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Desha |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in northeast Desha County close to a mile north of Snow Lake. The tornado moved quickly northeast and snapped off a number of trees. The tornado also damaged several irrigation systems. The tornado travelled roughly 3 miles before exiting Desha County about 4 miles north-northeast of Snow Lake. The tornado moved into Phillips County which is in the Memphis County Warning Area. | |||||||||||
| 31.8 | 1965-02-09 | 3 | 34°36'N / 91°13'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 32.0 | 2001-11-24 | 2 | 34°32'N / 90°11'W | 34°40'N / 90°06'W | 9.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 5 | 500K | 0 | Tate |
| Brief Description: The tornado moved into the southwest part of Tate county from Panola county and lifted up northeast of Strayhorn. Numerous buildings were damaged or destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 32.7 | 1973-11-23 | 2 | 34°35'N / 91°17'W | 34°46'N / 91°07'W | 15.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 35.0 | 1980-04-08 | 2 | 34°42'N / 90°08'W | 0.70 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tate | |
| 35.4 | 1973-08-14 | 2 | 34°57'N / 90°28'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | St. Francis | |
| 36.1 | 1978-05-12 | 2 | 34°19'N / 90°13'W | 34°19'N / 89°56'W | 16.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Panola |
| 36.2 | 1999-01-21 | 3 | 34°41'N / 91°16'W | 34°53'N / 91°07'W | 20.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Monroe |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in southern Monroe County. The tornado flipped over a tractor 8 miles south of Brinkley. About 3 miles southeast of Brinkley, the tornado destroyed a home with nothing left but the foundation. As the tornado moved northeast, the tornado damaged some transmission towers. The tornado tracked through much of eastern Monroe County and weakened some before moving into St. Francis County (Memphis County Warning Area) and the Wheatley area. | |||||||||||
| 36.7 | 1965-02-11 | 2 | 34°54'N / 90°22'W | 34°55'N / 90°16'W | 5.90 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Crittenden |
| 36.8 | 1968-12-27 | 2 | 34°03'N / 90°17'W | 1 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Tallahatchie | |||
| 36.9 | 1974-06-06 | 3 | 34°59'N / 90°47'W | 35°01'N / 90°44'W | 3.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 4 | 112 | 25.0M | 0 | St. Francis |
| 38.0 | 2009-07-30 | 2 | 34°03'N / 91°16'W | 34°09'N / 91°05'W | 12.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 850K | 0K | Arkansas |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado began in southeastern Arkansas County, northeast of Arkansas Post. Initially, the tornado was weak and its track was mostly over open farm land. The porch of an old mobile home, being used as a hunting camp, was torn off. The tornado soon moved into the White River National Wildlife Refuge and intensified greatly. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that 1750 acres of timber were destroyed within the refuge. Most of these old-growth trees were snapped off. Three families were camping at Jacks Bay in the refuge. No one was injured, but the campers were unable to exit the refuge because Jacks Bay Road, the only road out of that section of the refuge, was blocked by fallen trees. It took several hours for county, state, and federal crews to reopen the road. Altogether, they had to cut trees off 2537 feet of roadway. A few of the falling trees knocked down power lines. The tornado crossed the White River, into Phillips County, east-northeast of Weber. This tornado was destined to be one for the record books. The total path length in Arkansas and Phillips counties was by far the longest tornado track ever recorded in Arkansas during the month of July. Also, it was only the eighth tornado in Arkansas history to achieve a rating of F2/EF2 in the month of July. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the morning of the 30th, a large cluster of thunderstorms known as a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) moved into Arkansas from the southwest. The MCS weakened, leaving behind a Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV) or small area of circulation aloft. During the afternoon, this MCV helped to trigger new storms and a few tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 1982-04-02 | 2 | 35°01'N / 90°46'W | 1.60 Miles | 60 Yards | 1 | 13 | 250K | 0 | St. Francis | |
| 38.2 | 1988-11-19 | 3 | 33°54'N / 90°32'W | 33°58'N / 90°30'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Sunflower |
| 38.6 | 1962-04-28 | 2 | 34°47'N / 90°12'W | 34°53'N / 90°08'W | 7.90 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | De Soto |
| 38.9 | 1970-04-19 | 3 | 35°00'N / 90°27'W | 1.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | St. Francis | |
| 39.4 | 1975-03-12 | 2 | 34°22'N / 90°00'W | 2.50 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Panola | |
| 40.2 | 1971-02-21 | 3 | 33°51'N / 90°31'W | 33°58'N / 90°28'W | 8.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 3 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sunflower |
| 40.2 | 1999-01-21 | 2 | 34°53'N / 91°06'W | 35°04'N / 90°58'W | 16.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 9 | 500K | 0 | St. Francis |
| Brief Description: The tornado moved into the extreme southwest corner of St. Francis county from Monroe county. It touched down several times and then lifted back into the air. The most severe damage occurred in and near Wheatley. Thirteen homes were completely demolished and six other homes sustained structural damage. Further along its path, the tornado hit a farm about 4.5 miles northeast of Wheatley. The farmhouse lost part of its roof. Two or three machine sheds were demolished, several other outbuildings were damaged, grain storage bins were flatted and blown several hundreds of feet away and irrigation equipment suffered extensive damage. | |||||||||||
| 40.4 | 1982-04-02 | 2 | 34°53'N / 91°11'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Monroe | |||
| 41.1 | 1968-04-03 | 2 | 34°13'N / 91°20'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Arkansas | |||
| 41.6 | 1950-08-24 | 2 | 34°24'N / 91°26'W | 34°26'N / 91°23'W | 3.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Arkansas |
| 42.0 | 1985-04-23 | 2 | 34°36'N / 91°25'W | 34°37'N / 91°23'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 42.4 | 1973-04-24 | 2 | 33°54'N / 90°24'W | 0 | 42 | 2.5M | 0 | Tallahatchie | |||
| 42.8 | 1974-04-01 | 2 | 33°51'N / 90°43'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bolivar | |||
| 42.8 | 1975-05-29 | 2 | 34°37'N / 89°57'W | 0.10 Mile | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tate | |
| 43.6 | 1964-08-11 | 2 | 34°31'N / 91°33'W | 34°17'N / 91°20'W | 20.30 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Arkansas |
| 43.6 | 1964-08-11 | 2 | 34°31'N / 91°33'W | 34°17'N / 91°20'W | 20.30 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Arkansas |
| 44.4 | 1965-02-11 | 2 | 34°55'N / 90°16'W | 34°58'N / 90°02'W | 13.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | De Soto |
| 44.7 | 2008-05-10 | 3 | 34°29'N / 91°35'W | 34°25'N / 91°21'W | 14.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 9 | 75.0M | 0K | Arkansas |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down west of Stuttgart, near the Arkansas/Prairie County line. The tornado then moved toward the east-southeast, passing through the southern sections of Stuttgart. Most of the damage in the city was along and a few blocks to the north of 22nd Street (Arkansas Highway 130). The tornado then passed through the southern part of the Country Club Estates area and moved out across farmsteads, finally taking a turn toward the southeast and ending northeast of Almyra. Altogether, some 800 homes were damaged, along with 82 businesses, and approximately 750 vehicles. Two schools, a community college's training center, a nursing home, and a sports complex were also damaged. Six people had to be rescued after the building housing a dollar store collapsed, trapping the people inside. About 3800 customers lost electric service in the Stuttgart area, and about 2000 customers were without telephone service. Seventy-five animals were treated for minor injuries at Stuttgart's animal shelter. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front moved through Arkansas on the 9th, but the front then stalled and moved back to the north as a warm front on the 10th. Severe storms developed north of the front during the afternoon, with tornadoes developing closer to the front during the early evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 1967-05-01 | 2 | 33°50'N / 90°51'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bolivar | |
| 45.1 | 1965-02-09 | 3 | 34°14'N / 91°31'W | 34°18'N / 91°21'W | 10.50 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Arkansas |
| 46.4 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 34°57'N / 91°17'W | 34°58'N / 91°12'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 46.4 | 1985-04-23 | 2 | 34°35'N / 91°33'W | 34°36'N / 91°25'W | 8.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Prairie |
| 46.6 | 1988-01-19 | 2 | 34°51'N / 90°07'W | 34°57'N / 89°59'W | 9.50 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | De Soto |
| 47.2 | 1978-01-07 | 3 | 35°03'N / 91°08'W | 35°09'N / 90°52'W | 16.60 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | St. Francis |
| 48.4 | 1976-04-24 | 2 | 34°25'N / 89°57'W | 34°26'N / 89°43'W | 13.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Panola |
| 48.4 | 1975-03-12 | 2 | 34°00'N / 90°03'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 7 | 3K | 0 | Tallahatchie | |
| 48.5 | 1978-01-07 | 3 | 35°02'N / 91°13'W | 35°03'N / 91°08'W | 5.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Woodruff |
| 48.5 | 2005-09-24 | 2 | 33°42'N / 90°40'W | 33°50'N / 90°45'W | 12.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 800K | 100K | Bolivar |
| Brief Description: This tornado touched down between Cleveland and Ruleville about 3 miles southeast of Dockery in Western Sunflower county. The tornado then tracked northwest into Bolivar county just east of Cleveland and then toward Merigold where it dissipated. As the tornado approached Cleveland it remained over open farm land and caused damage to trees and power lines. The tornado became more intense just east and northeast of Cleveland. Here the most significant damage occurred which was within a swath of nearly 2 miles that extended from the northeast outskirts of Cleveland to the Renova Community. A couple of buildings were severely damage with one commercial storage building totally destroyed. Three mobile homes were destroyed and 5 other homes sustained heavy damage. Three sheds were destroyed and numerous large trees and power poles were taken down. A mid-sized storage tank was thrown 1/4 of a mile into a field and 3 bicycle frames were thrown 1/4 to 1/2 a mile away. The tornado weakened as it moved toward Merigold and dissipated about 1 mile west of Town off Pemble Road. The total path length across Sunflower and Bolivar counties was 13 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards and maximum rating of F2. Additionally, this tornado developed from the same parent storm which produced the Belzoni tornado. | |||||||||||
| 48.6 | 1983-05-14 | 3 | 34°30'N / 91°32'W | 0.80 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Arkansas | |
| 48.6 | 1980-06-24 | 2 | 33°57'N / 90°10'W | 33°54'N / 90°07'W | 4.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tallahatchie |
| 48.9 | 2001-02-24 | 3 | 33°41'N / 91°26'W | 34°07'N / 90°57'W | 42.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Desha |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in western Desha County about 1 mile south-southwest of Reed. The tornado moved quickly northeast, and destroyed a mobile home. Roofs were damaged at several homes. In addition, the tornado rolled a 500 gallon butane tank, damaged or destroyed metal barns and sheds and knocked hundreds of trees down near the Arkansas River levee southeast of Yancopin. Perhaps the most damage was found just west of Kelso. There, a large metal farm shop was destroyed with parts of the shop found more than 6 miles away. Near the shop, there were grain carts thrown at least a third of a mile. A large combine and several truck tractors were destroyed. One tractor trailer was overturned. Also near the shop, a pickup track was mangled with several large farm implements thrown, overturned or destroyed. The tornado travelled about 42 miles before dissipating 5 miles northeast of Snow Lake. | |||||||||||
| 49.0 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 34°55'N / 91°23'W | 34°57'N / 91°17'W | 6.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Woodruff |
| 49.1 | 1967-05-06 | 2 | 34°32'N / 91°33'W | 34°31'N / 91°32'W | 1.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Arkansas |
| 49.2 | 1984-04-21 | 2 | 33°51'N / 90°20'W | 34°00'N / 89°55'W | 22.00 Miles | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tallahatchie |
| 49.5 | 1961-03-26 | 2 | 34°29'N / 91°33'W | 1.50 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Arkansas | |
| 49.5 | 1954-05-02 | 3 | 34°30'N / 91°33'W | 0.40 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Arkansas | |
| 49.6 | 1952-03-21 | 4 | 35°00'N / 91°15'W | 35°08'N / 91°05'W | 13.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 29 | 180 | 2.5M | 0 | Woodruff |
| 49.7 | 1971-02-21 | 2 | 35°09'N / 90°47'W | 35°13'N / 90°47'W | 4.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Francis |
| 49.7 | 2006-04-02 | 3 | 35°12'N / 91°03'W | 35°10'N / 90°31'W | 30.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 5 | 5.0M | 0 | Cross |
| Brief Description: This tornado continued east from Woodruff County into Cross County eventually crossing into Crittenden County. The most affected area was the Fitzgerald Crossing community located south of Wynne and the Village Creek State Park. Twenty-four homes and two mobile homes were destroyed. Ten homes had major damage with twenty seven homes and five mobile homes receiving minor damage. Most of this damage occurred south of Wynne near the Intersection of State Highway 1 and County Road 652. The Village Creek State Park suffered damage to the Visitors' Center and the tennis court. Five minor injuries occurred with the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 49.7 | 2004-10-18 | 2 | 34°34'N / 91°42'W | 34°37'N / 91°23'W | 17.20 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 12.2M | 0 | Prairie |
| Brief Description: The F2 tornado moved from Lonoke County into Prairie County about 6.1 miles west-southwest of the Fairmount Community. The tornado gained intensity as it tracked to the east-northeast and then to the east as it approached the Stuttgart Airport. The tornado continued to track to the east before lifting east-northeast of the town of Ulm. The maximum damage was observed at the airport where numerous planes were damaged or destroyed. Damage at the airport was estimated at just over 12 million dollars. Also, most of the hangers and other buildings on the airport property sustained damage. Elsewhere along the path of the tornado, many power poles were snapped off or blown down. Metal irrigation pipe was carried for a mile and deposited in the field. Numerous outbuildings and farm shops were destroyed or damaged. A combine was destroyed and another was badly damaged. A farm tractor was destroyed as well. In the town of Ulm, a number of trees had large limbs broken and there was minor damage to house roofs. Underpinning was also blown out from under several mobile homes. The tornado weakened considerably before reaching Ulm. | |||||||||||
| 49.9 | 1973-11-27 | 2 | 34°55'N / 90°02'W | 34°58'N / 90°00'W | 4.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 50 | 250K | 0 | De Soto |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.