Ponca, AR Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Ponca is lower than Arkansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Ponca is much lower than Arkansas average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #502
| Ponca, AR | 0.09 |
| 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
| Ponca, 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, #699
| Ponca, AR | 128.22 |
| 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 3,529 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Ponca, 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: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 1 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 374 | Hail: | 1,461 | Heat: | 7 | Heavy Snow: | 5 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 4 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 5 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,582 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 3 | Winter Storm: | 12 | Winter Weather: | 10 |
| Other: | 58 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Ponca, AR.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Ponca, AR.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 22.7 | 1985-09-06 | 3.8 | 10 | 35.81 | -93.12 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 64 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Ponca, AR.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.5 | 1962-03-20 | 2 | 36°01'N / 93°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Newton | |
| 16.9 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°48'N / 93°21'W | 35°50'N / 93°16'W | 18.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newton |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado touched down in Newton County, tracking from 3.2 miles south-southwest of Swain to 4.5 miles east-southeast of Jasper. The thunderstorm that produced this tornado was the same storm that dropped a tornado over Johnson and southern Newton Counties a little earlier that evening. Significant damage occurred to an Inn and restaurant on Highway 7 in the Gum Springs community, or about 5 miles south-southeast of Jasper. The restaurant on the upper floor of the structure was destroyed. The roof was blown to the northwest, ending up across the highway from the building. The rear wall of the building went in the opposite direction, landing on a slope below the building. The tornado also damaged several houses and destroyed a number of outbuildings. Hundreds of trees were also blown down the entire path of the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 18.6 | 1973-04-20 | 3 | 36°09'N / 93°09'W | 36°15'N / 93°05'W | 7.80 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 19 | 2.5M | 0 | Boone |
| 20.6 | 1996-04-21 | 3 | 35°46'N / 93°46'W | 35°56'N / 93°34'W | 15.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 2 | 6 | 1.0M | 0 | Madison |
| Brief Description: M37MH, M10MH | |||||||||||
| 21.0 | 1955-04-04 | 2 | 36°20'N / 93°36'W | 36°21'N / 93°25'W | 10.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carroll |
| 21.7 | 1973-05-26 | 2 | 36°20'N / 93°34'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Carroll | |
| 22.0 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°43'N / 93°25'W | 35°45'N / 93°24'W | 1.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newton |
| Brief Description: The F2 tornado over Johnson County crossed into Newton County about 4.5 miles southeast of Fallsville. The tornado continued to track to the northeast for 1.8 miles, before lifting 4.5 miles east-southeast of Fallsville. Since the tornado tracked across a national forest, damage along the path of the tornado consisted of numerous downed trees. | |||||||||||
| 23.3 | 1982-12-02 | 2 | 35°50'N / 93°06'W | 36°06'N / 92°53'W | 19.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clark |
| 23.3 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 36°07'N / 93°55'W | 36°09'N / 93°41'W | 13.20 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Madison |
| 23.5 | 1991-03-21 | 2 | 36°08'N / 93°01'W | 36°10'N / 92°58'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Boone |
| 24.2 | 1962-03-20 | 2 | 36°09'N / 93°53'W | 36°07'N / 93°45'W | 7.80 Miles | 417 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Madison |
| 25.0 | 1974-06-06 | 3 | 35°40'N / 93°32'W | 35°43'N / 93°20'W | 11.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson |
| 25.8 | 1971-05-23 | 2 | 35°42'N / 93°41'W | 35°42'N / 93°25'W | 14.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson |
| 26.9 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 36°16'N / 93°14'W | 36°30'N / 93°03'W | 19.00 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Boone |
| 26.9 | 1955-11-15 | 2 | 36°03'N / 94°00'W | 36°08'N / 93°45'W | 15.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Washington |
| 28.6 | 1982-04-02 | 3 | 36°19'N / 93°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Boone | |
| 29.5 | 1983-05-14 | 2 | 35°38'N / 93°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson | |
| 30.4 | 1982-12-02 | 2 | 36°06'N / 92°53'W | 36°09'N / 92°50'W | 5.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dallas |
| 30.8 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°31'N / 93°43'W | 35°45'N / 93°27'W | 22.70 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Johnson |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado that developed over Franklin County, moved into Johnson County about 3 miles west-southwest of Hunt, on Highway 352. The tornado moved northeastward, passing just northwest of Hunt. The tornado continued on across a portion of Horsehead Lake, tracked several miles east of Catalpa and then crossed into Newton County about one mile west of Salus. The tornado killed a woman in a mobile home on County Road 272, about 1.5 miles northwest of Hunt. Two other people inside the mobile home sustained minor injuries. Two additional injuries occurred on County Road 29, about 1.5 miles north of Hunt, when two people were inside a chicken house when it was destroyed. Six chicken houses were destroyed at this location. Three of the chicken houses contained about 120 thousand chickens, many of which were killed. Other damage in Johnson County included more than a dozen barns destroyed, several mobile homes destroyed, several homes with major damage and a number of homes with lesser damage. A number of vehicles were destroyed and many others were damaged. Many outbuildings were destroyed and thousands of trees were blown down. | |||||||||||
| 31.5 | 1966-04-20 | 2 | 36°24'N / 93°45'W | 36°26'N / 93°43'W | 2.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Carroll |
| 31.7 | 1983-03-26 | 2 | 36°11'N / 92°51'W | 2.00 Miles | 293 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Marion | |
| 33.1 | 1985-11-18 | 2 | 35°28'N / 93°28'W | 35°41'N / 93°12'W | 18.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 33.2 | 1961-05-08 | 2 | 36°02'N / 92°48'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Searcy | |
| 33.6 | 1973-05-26 | 2 | 36°25'N / 93°50'W | 36°26'N / 93°44'W | 5.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton |
| 34.7 | 1961-05-07 | 2 | 36°04'N / 92°52'W | 36°07'N / 92°41'W | 10.80 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Searcy |
| 35.1 | 1988-11-15 | 2 | 35°26'N / 93°25'W | 35°40'N / 93°10'W | 16.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 35.2 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 36°02'N / 94°03'W | 36°06'N / 94°00'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 35.3 | 1982-12-02 | 2 | 36°09'N / 92°50'W | 36°18'N / 92°46'W | 10.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hot Spring |
| 35.6 | 1960-05-18 | 2 | 35°32'N / 93°20'W | 35°33'N / 93°16'W | 3.80 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Johnson |
| 35.7 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 36°34'N / 93°20'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Stone | |
| 36.0 | 1957-01-22 | 2 | 35°33'N / 93°40'W | 35°34'N / 93°32'W | 7.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Johnson |
| 36.2 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°28'N / 93°48'W | 35°38'N / 93°22'W | 26.90 Miles | 17 Yards | 1 | 14 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
| 37.1 | 1970-06-11 | 3 | 36°12'N / 94°06'W | 36°21'N / 93°54'W | 15.20 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Benton |
| 37.4 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 36°29'N / 93°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 14 | 25K | 0 | Carroll | |
| 38.9 | 1961-05-07 | 3 | 36°07'N / 92°47'W | 36°18'N / 92°40'W | 14.20 Miles | 1760 Yards | 3 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Marion |
| 39.4 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 36°00'N / 94°06'W | 36°02'N / 94°06'W | 3.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 0K | Washington |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado caused major damage to a permanent home, damaged several other homes, 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.6 | 1954-02-15 | 3 | 35°29'N / 93°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 24 | 250K | 0 | Johnson | |
| 39.9 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 36°00'N / 94°10'W | 36°02'N / 94°03'W | 6.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 40.4 | 1960-04-14 | 3 | 35°28'N / 93°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |
| 40.6 | 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 |
| 40.6 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 35°27'N / 93°30'W | 35°29'N / 93°27'W | 3.60 Miles | 1707 Yards | 0 | 76 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 40.8 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°45'N / 92°51'W | 35°55'N / 92°35'W | 18.80 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Searcy |
| 42.4 | 1999-03-05 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°36'W | 35°27'N / 93°29'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Johnson |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in southern Johnson County. Toward the town of Hartman, the tornado heavily damaged or destroyed a couple of barns. Farther northeast toward Clarksville, every piece of tin was removed from a chicken house. Chickens were thrown from the house and from nearby houses. Up to 10,000 chickens were lost in the storm. Numerous trees were also downed. The tornado tracked about 7 miles before dissipating just southwest of Clarksville | |||||||||||
| 42.9 | 1965-03-16 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°35'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |||
| 43.2 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 36°37'N / 93°23'W | 36°43'N / 93°07'W | 16.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stone |
| 44.1 | 1961-05-05 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 1 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Pope | |
| 44.1 | 1996-04-22 | 2 | 36°13'N / 92°44'W | 36°19'N / 92°34'W | 12.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 1.0M | 0 | Marion |
| Brief Description: The tornado touched down 3 1/2 miles southwest of Yellville. It moved north-northeastward, passing just to the north of the town of Summit. The tornado then began moving in more of a northeasterly direction, passing just to the north of Flippin and then lifted 4 miles north-northeast of Flippin. A number of homes and some businesses sustained damage along the tornado's path. Several trailers were either damaged or destroyed. 6 people sustained minor injuries. A number of trees and power lines were also blown down. Initial estimates place the amount of damage at $1,000,000. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1993-10-08 | 2 | 36°24'N / 94°04'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Benton | |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down in Avoca and travelled about one and a half miles before it dissipated. While the tornado was on the ground, it damaged about ten homes. A mobile home and two chicken houses were completely destroyed. A large number of trees were also blown down. | |||||||||||
| 45.1 | 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 |
| 45.2 | 1973-05-07 | 2 | 35°54'N / 92°38'W | 35°54'N / 92°35'W | 2.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Searcy |
| 45.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.6 | 1958-04-03 | 2 | 35°54'N / 92°36'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Searcy | |||
| 45.9 | 1967-05-30 | 2 | 36°20'N / 94°10'W | 36°20'N / 94°07'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hardin |
| 46.5 | 1973-04-20 | 2 | 35°23'N / 93°30'W | 1.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Logan | |
| 47.3 | 2006-03-12 | 2 | 36°21'N / 94°14'W | 36°23'N / 94°04'W | 8.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10.0M | 0 | Benton |
| Brief Description: The supercell cycled again and produced a third tornado that moved through the southern portion of Bentonville and Little Flock damaging or destroying 125 homes. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 1954-03-24 | 3 | 36°21'N / 94°17'W | 36°29'N / 93°57'W | 20.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 3K | 0 | Benton |
| 47.6 | 1985-11-18 | 3 | 36°11'N / 92°40'W | 36°18'N / 92°29'W | 13.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 3 | 13 | 25.0M | 0 | Marion |
| 48.2 | 1971-12-14 | 3 | 36°15'N / 92°36'W | 36°18'N / 92°33'W | 4.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Marion |
| 48.3 | 1954-03-24 | 3 | 36°43'N / 93°40'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Barry | |
| 48.5 | 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 |
| 48.6 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 35°21'N / 93°20'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |
| 48.9 | 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 |
| 49.3 | 1953-03-14 | 3 | 35°19'N / 93°15'W | 35°24'N / 93°07'W | 9.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 7 | 3K | 0 | Pope |
| 49.9 | 1972-04-12 | 2 | 36°40'N / 93°52'W | 0.90 Mile | 177 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Barry | |
* 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.