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Arkansas Environment & Hazard Risk

1 county rated high or very high risk. 40,581 storm events since 1996, #21 among states.

Expected yearly loss
$1.77B
$588 per person
Storm events since 1996
40,581
Most often thunderstorm wind
Flood insurance policies
8,993
$218M in claims paid
Superfund sites
17
351 toxic release facilities

Risk by county

FEMA National Risk Index rating, highest risk first

CountyOverall riskTop hazardFlood policiesFlood claims paid
Pulaski CountyHighIce storm1,526$30.36M
Washington CountyModerateIce storm525$13.66M
Craighead CountyModerateIce storm725$7.92M
Garland CountyModerateIce storm573$4.3M
Mississippi CountyModerateDrought106$2.15M
Benton CountyModerateIce storm439$9.24M
Sebastian CountyModerateIce storm290$18.99M
Faulkner CountyModerateIce storm420$7.71M
White CountyModerateIce storm137$3.03M
Jefferson CountyModerateIce storm273$14.42M
Crittenden CountyModerateEarthquake364$12.81M
Greene CountyLowEarthquake320$1.05M
Pope CountyLowIce storm72$970K
Saline CountyLowIce storm237$7.65M
Lonoke CountyLowIce storm180$1.33M
St. Francis CountyLowTornado81$447K
Cleburne CountyLowIce storm134$1.23M
Poinsett CountyLowEarthquake63$1.75M
Baxter CountyLowIce storm77$2.85M
Clay CountyLowDrought112$4.14M
Crawford CountyLowIce storm105$1.57M
Miller CountyLowHail148$2.72M
Independence CountyLowIce storm60$2.31M
Sharp CountyLowIce storm57$3.6M
Lawrence CountyLowIce storm84$897K
Jackson CountyLowIce storm136$3.08M
Randolph CountyLowEarthquake84$9.57M
Sevier CountyLowIce storm20$774K
Cross CountyLowEarthquake82$2.25M
Carroll CountyLowIce storm2$9,023
Arkansas CountyLowEarthquake91$1.43M
Boone CountyLowIce storm11$485K
Phillips CountyLowEarthquake123$3.77M
Yell CountyLowIce storm16$147K
Johnson CountyLowIce storm46$34.11K
Conway CountyLowIce storm27$279K
Hot Spring CountyLowIce storm53$294K
Ashley CountyLowIce storm55$825K
Union CountyLowIce storm72$2.07M
Izard CountyLowIce storm47$2.41M
Hempstead CountyLowIce storm6$618K
Ouachita CountyLowIce storm50$1.52M
Fulton CountyLowIce storm13$1.66M
Van Buren CountyLowIce storm18$588K
Stone CountyLowIce storm4$197K
Franklin CountyLowIce storm11$716K
Howard CountyLowIce storm17$162K
Logan CountyLowIce storm13$78.18K
Marion CountyLowIce storm11$1.11M
Polk CountyLowIce storm11$192K
Madison CountyLowIce storm5$112K
Little River CountyLowIce storm4$81.5K
Chicot CountyLowDrought153$4.2M
Woodruff CountyVery LowIce storm29$1.66M
Columbia CountyVery LowIce storm5$89.57K
Prairie CountyVery LowEarthquake35$2.84M
Clark CountyVery LowLightning45$891K
Lee CountyVery LowEarthquake62$1.28M
Monroe CountyVery LowEarthquake104$4.36M
Drew CountyVery LowEarthquake32$671K
Lafayette CountyVery LowIce storm1$102K
Desha CountyVery LowEarthquake200$3.61M
Bradley CountyVery LowIce storm17$1.41M
Montgomery CountyVery LowIce storm43$1.43M
Nevada CountyVery LowIce storm5$5,209
Lincoln CountyVery LowDrought42$701K
Perry CountyVery LowIce storm29$1.13M
Searcy CountyVery LowIce storm--
Scott CountyVery LowIce storm9$1.02M
Pike CountyVery LowIce storm22$377K
Newton CountyVery LowLightning-$119K
Grant CountyVery LowIce storm17$145K
Dallas CountyVery LowIce storm3$7,084
Cleveland CountyVery LowIce storm-$58.3K
Calhoun CountyVery LowIce storm4$148K

Costliest hazards

Expected annual loss in Arkansas, all counties combined

  • Earthquake$331M/yr · 1 county high
  • Tornado$288M/yr · 10 counties high
  • Heat wave$145M/yr · 1 county high
  • Ice storm$129M/yr · 62 counties high
  • Cold wave$76.34M/yr · 1 county high
  • Strong wind$55.18M/yr · 10 counties high
  • Hail$31.54M/yr · 4 counties high
  • Lightning$30.16M/yr · 14 counties high
  • Drought$26.82M/yr · 4 counties high
  • Wildfire$13.47M/yr

Storm events by type

Since 1996: 378 deaths, $5.66B in property and crop damage

  • Thunderstorm Wind12,224 · 30 deaths
  • Hail9,255
  • Flash Flood3,792 · 68 deaths
  • Winter Weather2,176 · 17 deaths
  • Flood1,901 · 24 deaths
  • Heat1,899 · 33 deaths
  • Drought1,849
  • Winter Storm1,569 · 10 deaths
  • Tornado1,563 · 132 deaths
  • Excessive Heat921 · 7 deaths
  • Heavy Rain488 · 7 deaths
  • Heavy Snow471

Events per year

Storm events per year in Arkansas

Most damaging storms

Since 2017, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage

  • TornadoEF3, 12.53 mi path, 600 yd wide03/28/2020

    Jonesboro, Craighead County

    22 injured, $300M damage

    What happened

    This tornado developed just north of I-555 and west of Caraway Road. The tornado quickly intensified and caused EF2 damage near the intersection of Caraway Rd. and Race St. The tornado weakened slightly, but produced EF2 damage again at the Mall at Turtle Creek. The tornado reached its most intense stage as it approached and moved across the Jonesboro Airport. Several large industrial buildings were severely damaged. As the tornado moved through residential areas northeast of the airport, it caused EF2 to isolated EF3 damage to homes. The tornado began weakening after it crossed Highway 49 northeast of Jonesboro, with the final damage observed to the northeast of Brookland. Peak winds were estimated at 150 mph.

  • TornadoEF3, 26.94 mi path, 1,600 yd wide03/31/2023

    Mc Manus, Cross County

    4 deaths, 26 injured, $150M damage

    What happened

    NWS meteorologists determined an EF-3 tornado touched down in western Cross County at 431 PM CDT on March 31 on County Road 537, just south of Highway 284. The tornado tracked to the east-northeast towards Wynne, AR where it crossed Highway 284 multiple times. EF-2 damage was observed north of Ellis Chapel and McElroy. Just east northeast of McElroy, significant EF-2 damage to the sewage treatment plant was noted where an 80-yard-long shed with a sturdy roofing structure of metal failed and became lofted. The roofing wadded up and destroyed two cinder block buildings before landing 100 yards away. The tornado strengthened to an EF-3 as it moved into the western section of Wynne, AR. The tornado then ravaged the center of Wynne, including the Wynne High School. Several one and two-family residences in Wynne were partially to completely destroyed. The tornado weakened as it moved away from Wynne and traveled to the north of Parkin, AR where EF-2 damage was observed. The tornado then crossed into Crittenden County. Peak winds in Cross County were estimated at 150 mph.

  • TornadoEF3, 25.73 mi path, 800 yd wide03/31/2023

    Martindale, Pulaski County

    1 death, 54 injured, $85.71M damage

    What happened

    This tornado started just southwest of the Colonel |Glenn and Marsh Road intersection in Martindale, west of Marsh road, |uprooting trees and ripping a portion of a roof off an outbuilding. |The tornado then continued northeast across a forested area, |uprooting several more trees before crossing into a neighborhood off |Capitol Hill Boulevard near Hartford and Denver Streets. More |trees were uprooted as it moved northeast towards Kanis Road. ||The tornado rapidly intensified as it passed northeast over Chenal |Parkway, severely damaging several apartment buildings off of Napa |Valley Drive. The most severe residential damage occurred at these |apartments, and along and west of North Shackleford Road along |Jamestown Drive and Cobble Hill Road. Most exterior walls had |collapsed on several homes, leaving just some interior walls |standing.||The tornado then crossed Interstate 430 near the North Rodney Parham Road |interchange, damaging a shopping center and a Kroger. Between Interstate 430 |and Cantrell Road, many homes and apartments were severely damage, |with roofs ripped off and hundreds of trees uprooted. The tornado |crossed Cantrell Road near Foxtrot Road, damaging more...

  • TornadoEF2, 7.4 mi path, 3,000 yd wide05/26/2024

    Bentonville Muni Arp, Benton County

    $80M damage

    What happened

    This tornado developed along SE Walton Blvd, west of SE Dodson Road. It quickly widened as it crossed I-49 moving to the southeast. The tornado continued to widen as it turned east, then east-northeast, crossing S Dixieland Road and Highway 94 at over 1.5 miles wide. It moved northeast after crossing N Arkansas Street, and dissipated in the hilly terrain east of Grambling Road. Nearly 600 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by this tornado, and thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted. Many power poles were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 115 to 125 mph.

  • Winter Weather11/14/2018

    Pulaski

    4 deaths, 2 injured

    What happened

    The observer reported 0.8 inches of snow in the last 24 hours ending at 7 am on 11/15/18 3 miles north of North Little Rock. There were 4 deaths and 2 injuries due to auto accidents on slick roads.

  • TornadoEF2, 12.1 mi path, 2,000 yd wide05/26/2024

    Eros, Marion County

    3 deaths

    What happened

    The Boone-Marion County tornado continued into Marion County from Boone County, paralleling just south of US Highway 62, near Pyatt.|Marion County EM reported three fatalities from this tornado.|Extensive tree damage was observed across several county roads,|and a few mobile homes were tossed and destroyed on Marion County|Road 4010. After crossing Marion County Road 4010, the tornado|path width increased to its widest point, and likely maintained a|maximum path width of around 2000 yards for a few miles, via|satellite imagery, as it moved through the Crooked Creek Valley.|Extensive tree damage was observed along and around Crooked|Creek, and moderate damage to the second level of a tin home was|found as well. The tornado kept moving northeast, snapping most|trees in its path as it crossed Crooked Creek multiple times and|eventually, Marion County Road 4006, where it moved over the Snow|Access Campground Area. The tornado then crossed US Highway|62 again near the small municipality of Snow, causing minor to|moderate damage to a few homes around the area. As the tornado|crossed US Highway 62, the path width began to decrease, and it|began moving more eastward. Mainly tree damage...

Hurricanes and tropical storms

Storms whose track crossed the state, newest first

Flood insurance

National Flood Insurance Program policies and claims

8,993 homes in Arkansas have flood insurance, about 0.8% of residential buildings. In high-risk flood zones, 6,825 of 40,426 homes (17%) are insured.

Flood claims paid per year in Arkansas
  • Mid-spring storms$29.47M · 1,076 claims
  • Late spring severe storms$25.63M · 575 claims
  • Central U.S. April Flooding$11.71M · 220 claims
  • Flooding$7.13M · 823 claims
  • March storm$6.57M · 228 claims
  • Early winter storms$5.93M · 217 claims

Drinking water

658 community water systems serve about 3,068,335 people

Since 2021, 165 systems reported 801 health-based violations. 139 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report. These had the most:

  • Leisure Hills Mobile Home ParkServes 113 · Groundwater · Local government39 health violations+18 monitoring or reporting
  • Hosanna Heights WaterServes 52 · Groundwater · Local government36 health violations+140 monitoring or reporting
  • Pickens WaterworksServes 49 · Groundwater · Local government31 health violations+62 monitoring or reporting
  • Delight WaterworksServes 1,577 · Purchased surface water · Local government29 health violations+20 monitoring or reporting
  • Clarendon WaterworksServes 1,320 · Groundwater · Local government29 health violations+17 monitoring or reporting
  • Antoine WaterworksServes 563 · Groundwater · Local government29 health violations+23 monitoring or reporting
  • Compton WaterworksServes 1,038 · Purchased surface water · Local government24 health violations+13 monitoring or reporting
  • Danville WaterworksServes 2,810 · Surface water · Local government23 health violations+3 monitoring or reporting

Select a county above to see every system that serves it.

Climate in the largest cities

1991-2020 normals from the nearest NOAA weather station

CityJuly highJan lowRainSnow
Little Rock92°F31°F50.4 in3.8 in
Fayetteville89°F27°F46.3 in-
Fort Smith94°F30°F47.3 in2.9 in
Jonesboro91°F31°F48.5 in-
Rogers89°F24°F47.3 in9.5 in
Conway92°F27°F51.2 in2.3 in
Pine Bluff92°F33°F53.6 in2.5 in
Hot Springs93°F32°F58.0 in1.1 in

Pollution sites

17 Superfund sites and 351 toxic release facilities

Superfund sites

All 17 in Arkansas

Largest toxic releases

All 351 in Arkansas

Facilities in Arkansas reported 76.0 million lbs of toxic releases in 2024, 14.5 million lbs of it into the air.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest natural hazard in Arkansas?
By expected annual loss, earthquake costs the most in Arkansas ($331M a year), according to FEMA's National Risk Index.
How many storms hit Arkansas each year?
NOAA recorded 40,581 storm events in Arkansas since 1996, about 1,309 a year. The most common type is thunderstorm wind.
How many homes in Arkansas have flood insurance?
8,993 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Arkansas. Since 1978 the National Flood Insurance Program has paid $218M on 10,065 claims here.
How many Superfund sites are in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 17 Superfund sites on or deleted from EPA's National Priorities List.

Source: FEMA, NOAA, EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch each county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.