Pocola, OK Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Pocola is lower than Oklahoma average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Pocola is much lower than Oklahoma average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #636
| Pocola, OK | 0.02 |
| Oklahoma | 0.31 |
| 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
| Pocola, OK | 0.0000 |
| Oklahoma | 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, #677
| Pocola, OK | 238.69 |
| Oklahoma | 363.83 |
| 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 4,286 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Pocola, OK 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: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 4 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 347 | Hail: | 2,019 | Heat: | 6 | Heavy Snow: | 8 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 13 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 11 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,771 | Tropical Storm: | 2 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 19 | Winter Weather: | 25 |
| Other: | 54 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Pocola, OK.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Pocola, OK.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 47.0 | 1977-06-02 | 4.3 | 10 | 34.61 | -94.19 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 90 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Pocola, OK.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.1 | 1958-05-02 | 2 | 35°16'N / 94°30'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 4.5 | 1981-07-21 | 2 | 35°12'N / 94°31'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kiowa | |
| 7.7 | 1976-03-26 | 5 | 35°12'N / 94°42'W | 35°15'N / 94°30'W | 11.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 2 | 64 | 2.5M | 0 | Le Flore |
| 9.0 | 1958-06-25 | 2 | 35°08'N / 94°32'W | 0.50 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 9.4 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 35°08'N / 94°33'W | 0.50 Mile | 127 Yards | 0 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 9.5 | 1967-12-21 | 2 | 35°21'N / 94°24'W | 35°23'N / 94°21'W | 3.80 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Sebastian |
| 9.5 | 1996-04-21 | 2 | 35°23'N / 94°25'W | 35°23'N / 94°25'W | 4.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 2 | 40 | 150.0M | 0 | Sebastian |
| 9.8 | 1965-05-08 | 2 | 35°21'N / 94°25'W | 35°24'N / 94°21'W | 5.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Sebastian |
| 10.8 | 1960-05-05 | 3 | 35°23'N / 94°29'W | 35°26'N / 94°26'W | 4.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 11.7 | 1984-10-16 | 2 | 35°25'N / 94°31'W | 0.10 Mile | 3 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sequoyah | |
| 11.8 | 1980-04-07 | 2 | 35°08'N / 94°22'W | 35°08'N / 94°16'W | 5.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Sebastian |
| 11.8 | 1960-05-05 | 4 | 35°23'N / 94°33'W | 35°27'N / 94°30'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 5 | 13 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 11.9 | 1968-04-19 | 4 | 35°12'N / 94°16'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 14 | 270 | 2.5M | 0 | Sebastian | |
| 12.5 | 1954-02-19 | 2 | 35°13'N / 94°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sebastian | |
| 15.9 | 1957-01-22 | 4 | 35°24'N / 94°41'W | 10 | 20 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah | |||
| 15.9 | 1960-05-05 | 3 | 35°11'N / 94°47'W | 35°21'N / 94°43'W | 12.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Le Flore |
| 16.0 | 1960-05-05 | 3 | 35°21'N / 94°43'W | 35°24'N / 94°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 16.3 | 1989-05-18 | 2 | 35°28'N / 94°21'W | 0.70 Mile | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford | |
| 17.6 | 1996-04-21 | 3 | 35°26'N / 94°21'W | 35°31'N / 94°17'W | 6.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 0 | 49 | 150.0M | 0 | Crawford |
| 17.8 | 1953-03-13 | 2 | 35°00'N / 94°32'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Le Flore | |||
| 19.4 | 1960-05-05 | 3 | 35°24'N / 94°42'W | 35°31'N / 94°42'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 20.7 | 1982-12-02 | 3 | 35°29'N / 94°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford | |
| 21.4 | 1953-04-23 | 3 | 35°29'N / 94°13'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Crawford | |||
| 21.7 | 1982-05-28 | 2 | 35°27'N / 94°46'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah | |
| 22.2 | 1968-04-19 | 2 | 34°58'N / 94°39'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 23.2 | 1968-05-25 | 2 | 35°27'N / 94°48'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Sequoyah | |
| 23.2 | 1959-05-10 | 2 | 35°29'N / 94°46'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Sequoyah | |
| 23.5 | 1960-05-05 | 4 | 35°23'N / 94°51'W | 35°27'N / 94°49'W | 4.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 23.7 | 1960-04-14 | 3 | 35°28'N / 94°17'W | 35°31'N / 94°03'W | 13.60 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Crawford |
| 23.9 | 1965-06-22 | 2 | 35°28'N / 94°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sequoyah | |
| 24.0 | 1976-02-20 | 2 | 35°31'N / 94°45'W | 35°33'N / 94°41'W | 4.50 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 24.2 | 1999-05-04 | 3 | 35°34'N / 94°33'W | 35°38'N / 94°29'W | 6.50 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| Brief Description: A significant long-track tornado first touched down in Sequoyah County 4 miles west of Short, travelling northeast for 39 miles to a point about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. This tornado eventually reached its peak as an F3 tornado in extreme southeast Adair County. In Sequoyah County, this tornado travelled across a sparsely-populated part of the county, causing mostly tree damage. Property damage listed with this entry is just for the portion of the tornado in Sequoyah County, while the F-rating reflects the peak strength of the tornado in Adair County. Summary of events for May 3-4 1999: Following a week-long blocking weather pattern, a strong upper level trough finally moved out of the southwestern U.S. Interactions with a dryline in western Oklahoma and a slow-moving cold front brought the largest tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history from the afternoon of May 3 through the afternoon of May 4. Most notable was the F5 tornado that moved through southern parts of the Oklahoma City metro area. While the loss of life and the heaviest property damage was limited to central Oklahoma, eastern Oklahoma got into the act with a significant number of tornadoes. While there were dozens of individual storms on May 3 and 4, there are two storms in eastern Oklahoma that stand out as outstanding. The first outstanding storm moved northeast along the I-44 corridor on the evening of May 3, causing F3 damage to Stroud in Lincoln County. The storm went on to cause significant F1 damage in Sapulpa and southwestern portions of the city of Tulsa and millions of dollars in damage. The second outstanding storm got its start in southeast Oklahoma well south of McAlester. This storm moved northeast across Pushmataha, Latimer, Haskell, LeFlore and Sequoyah Counties, producing several damaging tornadoes along the way. The final tornado touched down in Sequoyah County and tracked 39 miles to near Fayetteville, AR, producing F3 damage in an unpopulated forest in Adair County. Following a very wet April that saturated area grounds, another slow-moving weather system made flash flooding another serious problem to deal with as most rainfall quickly ran off into creeks, streams and mainstem rivers. One flash flood in Vinita caused millions of dollars in damage following the flooding of dozens of homes. | |||||||||||
| 24.5 | 1984-10-16 | 2 | 35°38'N / 94°24'W | 35°34'N / 94°22'W | 8.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 24.6 | 1973-05-26 | 2 | 34°57'N / 94°42'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 25.9 | 1957-05-20 | 3 | 35°23'N / 95°00'W | 35°28'N / 94°45'W | 15.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Delaware |
| 27.2 | 1960-05-05 | 4 | 35°04'N / 95°03'W | 35°23'N / 94°51'W | 24.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 3 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Haskell |
| 29.7 | 1984-10-16 | 2 | 35°34'N / 94°22'W | 35°44'N / 94°10'W | 14.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 30.0 | 1999-05-04 | 3 | 35°39'N / 94°33'W | 35°43'N / 94°30'W | 7.00 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7K | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: A significant long-track tornado first touched down in Sequoyah County 4 miles west of Short, moving northeast for 39 miles to a point about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. This tornado clipped the extreme southeast portion of Adair County as the tornado reached its peak strength as an F3 tornado. Fortunately, the tornado travelled across an unpopulated portion of Adair County. However, an aerial survey by NWS personnel over extreme southeast Adair County revealed that every tree in a hardwood forest was completely leveled. Summary of events for May 3-4 1999: Following a week-long blocking weather pattern, a strong upper level trough finally moved out of the southwestern U.S. Interactions with a dryline in western Oklahoma and a slow-moving cold front brought the largest tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history from the afternoon of May 3 through the afternoon of May 4. Most notable was the F5 tornado that moved through southern parts of the Oklahoma City metro area. While the loss of life and the heaviest property damage was limited to central Oklahoma, eastern Oklahoma got into the act with a significant number of tornadoes. While there were dozens of individual storms on May 3 and 4, there are two storms in eastern Oklahoma that stand out as outstanding. The first outstanding storm moved northeast along the I-44 corridor on the evening of May 3, causing F3 damage to Stroud in Lincoln County. The storm went on to cause significant F1 damage in Sapulpa and southwestern portions of the city of Tulsa and millions of dollars in damage. The second outstanding storm got its start in southeast Oklahoma well south of McAlester. This storm moved northeast across Pushmataha, Latimer, Haskell, LeFlore and Sequoyah Counties, producing several damaging tornadoes along the way. The final tornado touched down in Sequoyah County and tracked 39 miles to near Fayetteville, AR, producing F3 damage in an unpopulated forest in Adair County. Following a very wet April that saturated area grounds, another slow-moving weather system made flash flooding another serious problem to deal with as most rainfall quickly ran off into creeks, streams and mainstem rivers. One flash flood in Vinita caused millions of dollars in damage following the flooding of dozens of homes. | |||||||||||
| 30.1 | 2000-03-26 | 2 | 34°51'N / 94°38'W | 34°49'N / 94°36'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.2M | 0 | Le Flore |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down 1.5 miles northwest of Hodgen and moved southeast passing near the town of Hodgen before lifting 2 miles southeast of Hodgen. Three mobile homes were destroyed and as many as eight others were damaged. In addition, two broiler houses were destroyed, killing all the chickens inside. A few other agriculture structures were damaged and a few power lines were blown down. | |||||||||||
| 31.0 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 35°38'N / 94°24'W | 35°45'N / 94°19'W | 9.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford |
| 31.3 | 1967-03-25 | 2 | 35°08'N / 93°56'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Logan | |
| 31.4 | 1957-04-02 | 2 | 35°03'N / 95°01'W | 35°09'N / 94°58'W | 7.60 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Haskell |
| 31.6 | 1957-04-07 | 2 | 34°54'N / 94°06'W | 34°57'N / 94°03'W | 4.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Scott |
| 33.0 | 1974-05-14 | 2 | 34°50'N / 94°45'W | 1.00 Mile | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 33.3 | 1999-05-04 | 3 | 35°43'N / 94°29'W | 35°45'N / 94°27'W | 3.00 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Crawford |
| Brief Description: A significant long-track tornado first developed 4 miles west of Short, OK, moving northeast to about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. This tornado reached its peak strength as an F3 tornado as it clipped extreme southeast Adair County, OK. This tornado then clipped extreme northwest Crawford County, passing through an unpopulated, forested area in the Ozark National Forest. An aerial survey by NWS personnel just west of the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line west of Natural Dam revealed that every tree in a hardwood forest was completely leveled. Property damage listed with this entry reflects tree damage sustained in Crawford County, while the F-rating reflects the tornado's peak strength in Adair County, OK. Summary of events for May 4 1999: Following a record tornado outbreak in Oklahoma on May 3-4, a significant severe weather outbreak affected northwest Arkansas on the morning and afternoon of May 4 as a vigorous upper level system continued to move slowly east. While there were many individual storms in the area on May 4, the most outstanding storm of the day was a supercell thunderstorm that spawned a tornado in Sequoyah County, OK, which then moved northeast for 39 miles to near Fayetteville. Other storms produced damaging winds and large hail. | |||||||||||
| 33.3 | 1957-05-20 | 3 | 35°21'N / 95°05'W | 35°23'N / 95°00'W | 5.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Mayes |
| 33.4 | 1964-04-03 | 2 | 34°53'N / 94°51'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Le Flore | |||
| 34.8 | 1973-05-26 | 3 | 35°34'N / 95°06'W | 35°36'N / 94°46'W | 18.70 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Sequoyah |
| 35.3 | 1961-05-05 | 4 | 34°44'N / 95°02'W | 34°57'N / 94°39'W | 26.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 16 | 58 | 250K | 0 | Le Flore |
| 35.4 | 1980-04-07 | 2 | 35°02'N / 94°03'W | 35°08'N / 93°42'W | 20.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Logan |
| 36.3 | 1952-11-17 | 2 | 34°42'N / 94°17'W | 34°57'N / 93°54'W | 27.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Scott |
| 36.4 | 1951-07-15 | 2 | 34°48'N / 94°48'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kingfisher | |||
| 36.6 | 1996-04-21 | 2 | 35°37'N / 94°02'W | 35°39'N / 94°00'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 0 | Franklin |
| Brief Description: The tornado touched down just to the southwest of Fern. It moved northeastward, through the town of Fern, where 7 homes were destroyed and a number of other buildings were damaged. The tornado continued moving northeastward and lifted 3 miles northeast of Fern. A number of trees were blown down along the tornado's path. 2 people sustained minor injuries from the storm. Initial estimates place the amount of damage at around $500,000. | |||||||||||
| 38.0 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 35°47'N / 94°32'W | 35°49'N / 94°30'W | 4.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Adair |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed a mobile home, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles. This tornado continued into Washington County Arkansas, lifting about 4 miles southwest of Lincoln. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma from the evening of the 9th into the morning of the 10th. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 1961-05-08 | 2 | 35°48'N / 94°33'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adair | |||
| 39.2 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 35°45'N / 94°48'W | 35°46'N / 94°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0K | Adair |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed several mobile homes, caused extensive tree damage, destroyed barns and other outbuildings, and snapped power poles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma from the evening of the 9th into the morning of the 10th. | |||||||||||
| 39.6 | 1957-04-02 | 2 | 34°50'N / 95°06'W | 35°03'N / 95°01'W | 15.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Latimer |
| 39.7 | 1970-06-11 | 3 | 35°41'N / 94°46'W | 35°56'N / 94°31'W | 22.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Adair |
| 40.6 | 1959-03-31 | 3 | 35°18'N / 93°45'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Logan | |
| 41.6 | 1982-12-23 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°44'W | 0.60 Mile | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
| 41.9 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 35°49'N / 94°30'W | 35°54'N / 94°28'W | 6.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0K | Washington |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The strong tornado that began 5.5 miles east-southeast of Stillwell in Adair County Oklahoma moved into Washington County. The tornado destroyed a mobile home, destroyed a barn, rolled a vehicle, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms occurred across Northwest Arkansas during the evening and early morning hours on the 9th and 10th. | |||||||||||
| 42.4 | 1976-03-26 | 4 | 34°47'N / 95°04'W | 34°52'N / 94°57'W | 8.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Le Flore |
| 42.6 | 1976-03-26 | 2 | 35°52'N / 94°25'W | 2.00 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 42.6 | 1982-12-23 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°43'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
| 42.7 | 2009-04-09 | 2 | 34°37'N / 94°33'W | 34°39'N / 94°27'W | 7.00 Miles | 550 Yards | 0 | 4 | 100K | 0K | Le Flore |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado destroyed a mobile home, injuring four occupants, two of which were severely injured. Several other mobile homes were also severely damaged and a permanent home was damaged. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. Based on this damage, maximum winds were estimated to be between 120 and 130 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Widespread severe thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 9th. | |||||||||||
| 43.1 | 1960-05-05 | 4 | 34°58'N / 95°18'W | 35°04'N / 95°03'W | 15.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Latimer |
| 43.3 | 1952-11-17 | 2 | 34°34'N / 94°24'W | 34°42'N / 94°17'W | 11.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Polk |
| 43.4 | 1961-11-02 | 2 | 35°18'N / 93°42'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Logan | |
| 43.5 | 1999-05-04 | 3 | 35°45'N / 94°28'W | 36°00'N / 94°15'W | 22.00 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0 | Washington |
| Brief Description: A significant long-track tornado first touched down 4 miles west of Short, OK, and tracked 39 miles to a point about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. Along the way, this tornado passed through portions of four counties but mainly affected sparsely-populated areas. It reached its peak strength as an F3 tornado in extreme southeast Adair County, OK, but mainly caused F2 damage in Washington County, AR. Fortunately, this tornado lifted before it reached heavily-populated Fayetteville. The tornado's first real property damage took place at a property between the Hogeye and Strickland communities, where the tornado peeled off the roof to a home, shattered windows, uprooted trees, destroyed two barns, and wiped a porch off of its stone foundation. Numerous trees were blown down along County Roads 212 and 214. Only a few miles away in the Cove Creek community, south of Prarie Grove, the tornado blew off a home's roof, demolished an enclosed garage, and destroyed a barn. A flagpole was bent almost in half, and a road sign ended up wrapped around a mailbox. The tornado uprooted a 200-year old walnut tree which then fell onto a pickup truck. About a half-dozen other oak and cedar trees on one property dating back at least 150 years were snapped or uprooted. The Washington County Judge's Office supplied a picture of a church near Cove Creek that was moved off of its foundation. Several poultry buildings along the tornado's path were also damaged. The property damage listed in this entry is for just that damage sustained in Washington County, while the F-rating reflects the tornado's peak strength in Adair County, OK. Summary of events for May 4 1999: Following a record tornado outbreak in Oklahoma on May 3-4, a significant severe weather outbreak affected northwest Arkansas on the morning and afternoon of May 4 as a vigorous upper level system continued to move slowly east. While there were many individual storms in the area on May 4, the most outstanding storm of the day was a supercell thunderstorm that spawned a tornado in Sequoyah County, OK, which then moved northeast for 39 miles to near Fayetteville. Other storms produced damaging winds and large hail. | |||||||||||
| 43.5 | 1960-11-15 | 2 | 35°48'N / 94°51'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cherokee | |
| 43.8 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°45'W | 35°28'N / 93°43'W | 1.90 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Franklin |
| 44.1 | 1957-01-22 | 2 | 35°15'N / 95°18'W | 35°17'N / 95°12'W | 6.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Haskell |
| 44.6 | 1980-04-07 | 2 | 35°08'N / 93°42'W | 35°08'N / 93°41'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Yell | ||
| 44.7 | 1998-06-08 | 2 | 35°05'N / 95°14'W | 35°05'N / 95°14'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 60K | 0 | Haskell |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado destroyed one single family dwelling, while another single family dwelling received major damage. Summary of events for the evening of June 8 and the early morning of June 9 1998: A classic southern plains severe weather event shaped up on the afternoon and evening of June 8 as a number of isolated severe thunderstorms developed over central Oklahoma to the east of a dryline. The first severe thunderstorm to affect eastern Oklahoma scraped the northwestern part of Osage County, causing a report of a severe thunderstorm gust. This storm quickly died as it entered Kansas. A second more serious severe thunderstorm formed west of Oklahoma City and tracked all the way to the Arkansas state line south of Fort Smith, traversing Pittsburg, Haskell, and Le Flore Counties. This storm travelled east along an instability axis and a warm front. From a radar perspective, this storm was impressive in that it kept a classic, well-defined hook on its entire journey across southeast Oklahoma. From a human perspective, this storm was impressive in that it produced ten tornadoes in southeast Oklahoma, hail as large as golfballs, damaging thunderstorm winds, and torrential flooding rains. A third cluster of severe thunderstorms developed over Creek County and moved east across Okmulgee, Muskogee, Cherokee, and Adair Counties before weakening as it entered Arkansas. These storms slowed their movement across Muskogee County and regeneration along the southwest flank of the storms caused torrential rainfalls that dumped nearly three inches of rain in northern Muskogee, southern Cherokee, southern Adair, and northern Sequoyah Counties. In addition to flooding rains, these storms produced hail as large as nickels and damaging thunderstorm winds. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 35°45'N / 94°19'W | 36°00'N / 94°10'W | 19.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 45.7 | 1954-05-25 | 2 | 35°22'N / 95°16'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Muskogee | |||
| 45.8 | 1979-04-11 | 2 | 35°50'N / 94°23'W | 35°59'N / 94°19'W | 11.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 46.2 | 1977-11-15 | 2 | 34°35'N / 94°25'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Polk | |
| 46.5 | 1953-03-14 | 3 | 35°13'N / 93°57'W | 35°33'N / 93°22'W | 40.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan |
| 46.7 | 1981-05-17 | 2 | 35°37'N / 95°10'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Muskogee | |||
| 47.0 | 1999-03-05 | 2 | 34°37'N / 94°12'W | 34°40'N / 94°00'W | 12.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Polk |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in northern Polk County. The tornado tracked through rural areas, but caused some property damage. The roof of a home was damaged a couple of miles southeast of Acorn. The tornado caused mostly tree damage, with numerous trees downed or snapped. The tornado tracked 12 miles before dissipating. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1959-03-25 | 2 | 35°30'N / 95°15'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Muskogee | |||
| 47.3 | 1955-03-20 | 2 | 35°17'N / 93°44'W | 35°22'N / 93°32'W | 12.60 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Logan |
| 47.5 | 1971-05-23 | 2 | 34°37'N / 94°26'W | 34°35'N / 93°58'W | 26.70 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Polk |
| 47.6 | 1976-03-26 | 4 | 34°46'N / 95°05'W | 34°47'N / 95°04'W | 1.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Latimer |
| 47.8 | 1956-03-27 | 2 | 34°45'N / 95°03'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Le Flore | |
| 49.1 | 2009-04-09 | 3 | 34°32'N / 94°19'W | 34°37'N / 94°05'W | 15.00 Miles | 1075 Yards | 3 | 30 | 130.0M | 0K | Polk |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado began to the west-southwest of Mena, then tracked through the northwest side of Mena. According to the Polk County Judge, 165 houses were destroyed, 701 houses had major damage, and more than 11,000 trees were blown down. The Polk County Courthouse, county jail, Mena City Hall, and the police and fire departments were damaged in downtown Mena, as were several businesses. Mena Middle School, also located downtown, was structurally damaged beyond repair. A nursing home was also damaged. Most of the city lost electricity. The tornado then tracked to the northeast, badly damaging several industrial buildings. There was considerable roof damage at Rich Mountain Community College, and lesser damage to the hospital. As the tornado continued to the northeast, a tractor dealership was destroyed. A number of rural residences and farms were damaged as the tornado moved out into rural Polk County. North of Ink, damage was noted along Polk 74 and Polk 71; these same areas had been damaged by a tornado on October 6, 2008. Three fatalities occurred on the northwest side of Mena. One was a woman at a Masonic Lodge, and the others were a man and woman at separate residences. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Low pressure aloft approached from the west and collided with moisture and instability. Thunderstorms developed in eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon, then became more numerous as they entered western Arkansas during the evening. The storms brought a few tornadoes and numerous hailstorms to Arkansas during the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 49.7 | 1983-11-22 | 3 | 35°51'N / 94°45'W | 36°04'N / 94°31'W | 19.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Le Flore |
| 49.8 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 35°49'N / 94°12'W | 36°00'N / 94°00'W | 16.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 49.9 | 1951-06-07 | 2 | 35°34'N / 95°16'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Muskogee | |||
* 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.