Arkansas tornado risk
Pulaski County has the highest tornado risk in Arkansas, scoring 99.2 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Arkansas have increased 32% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pulaski County | 99.2 | Very High | 15 |
| 2 | Craighead County | 97.7 | Relatively High | 19 |
| 3 | Faulkner County | 97.1 | Relatively High | 7 |
| 4 | Garland County | 96.4 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 5 | St. Francis County | 96.2 | Relatively High | 4 |
| 6 | Washington County | 95.4 | Relatively High | 20 |
| 7 | Pope County | 94.6 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 8 | Sebastian County | 94.2 | Relatively High | 15 |
| 9 | Jefferson County | 92.5 | Relatively High | 7 |
| 10 | White County | 91.9 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 11 | Jackson County | 89.6 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 12 | Independence County | 89.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Saline County | 89.1 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 14 | Cleburne County | 88.8 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 15 | Greene County | 87.9 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 16 | Baxter County | 86.8 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 17 | Lonoke County | 86.2 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 18 | Miller County | 84.9 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 19 | Poinsett County | 83.9 | Relatively Moderate | 13 |
| 20 | Lawrence County | 83.5 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 21 | Van Buren County | 82.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 22 | Conway County | 82.4 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 23 | Crawford County | 81.4 | Relatively Moderate | 19 |
| 24 | Yell County | 81.1 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 25 | Carroll County | 80.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 26 | Benton County | 79.5 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 27 | Johnson County | 78.9 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 28 | Boone County | 78.6 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 29 | Phillips County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 30 | Randolph County | 77.8 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 31 | Sharp County | 76.3 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 32 | Stone County | 75 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 33 | Crittenden County | 73.3 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 34 | Hempstead County | 72.8 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 35 | Ashley County | 72.6 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 36 | Clay County | 71.1 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 37 | Arkansas County | 70.4 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 38 | Ouachita County | 70.1 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 39 | Union County | 69.8 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 40 | Mississippi County | 69.6 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 41 | Clark County | 68.4 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 42 | Hot Spring County | 68.3 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 43 | Logan County | 65.7 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 44 | Woodruff County | 65.7 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 45 | Madison County | 65.5 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 46 | Prairie County | 65.4 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 47 | Franklin County | 64.8 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 48 | Fulton County | 64.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 49 | Perry County | 64.2 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 50 | Lee County | 63.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 51 | Monroe County | 63.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Polk County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 53 | Sevier County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 54 | Drew County | 63.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 55 | Columbia County | 62.5 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 56 | Cross County | 61.5 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 57 | Izard County | 59.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 58 | Marion County | 55.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 59 | Desha County | 55.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 60 | Searcy County | 55.6 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 61 | Little River County | 55.2 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 62 | Grant County | 54.4 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 63 | Howard County | 53.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 64 | Lincoln County | 53.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 65 | Bradley County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 66 | Newton County | 51.1 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 67 | Chicot County | 50 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 68 | Montgomery County | 49.7 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 69 | Nevada County | 47.3 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 70 | Pike County | 43.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 71 | Lafayette County | 42.7 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 72 | Scott County | 41.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 73 | Cleveland County | 40.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 74 | Dallas County | 32.8 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 75 | Calhoun County | 22.8 | Very Low | 1 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Arkansas:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Arkansas?
Pulaski County, AR has the highest tornado risk in Arkansas, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.2 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Arkansas are rated Very High for tornado risk?
1 of 75 scored Arkansas counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes tornado risk in Arkansas?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.