Union County tornado history

45 tornadoes touched Union County, Arkansas between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.6 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (Dec 3, 1978). Tornadoes here killed 5 and injured 34 people.

45tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

5killed · 34 injured

60 milongest path · 1978

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F012

(E)F118

(E)F210

(E)F34

(E)F40

(E)F50

unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: April.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Dec 3, 1978	F3	60 mi	300 yd	4	2
Jan 12, 2005	F3	24 mi	900 yd	13	2
Feb 24, 2007	EF3	26 mi	250 yd	5	0
Mar 28, 1972	F3	10.4 mi	880 yd	0	0
Dec 3, 1978	F2	6.4 mi	50 yd	7	1
Dec 18, 2002	F2	20.2 mi	110 yd	0	0
Apr 24, 2003	F2	16.7 mi	125 yd	0	0
Jun 18, 2023	EF2	10.3 mi	1,320 yd	0	0
Sep 12, 1961	F2	7.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Feb 12, 1950	F2	5.7 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 28, 1972	F2	5.4 mi	880 yd	3	0
Apr 13, 1991	F2	2 mi	150 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width
Jun 18, 2023	EF2	10.3 mi	1,320 yd
Jan 18, 2023	EF1	9.3 mi	840 yd
Jan 2, 2023	EF1	0.2 mi	350 yd
Jun 7, 2021	unrated	1.6 mi	25 yd
Apr 14, 2018	EF1	7.1 mi	800 yd
Apr 14, 2018	EF1	5.1 mi	1,200 yd
Jan 21, 2017	EF1	2.9 mi	75 yd
Jan 21, 2017	EF0	0.6 mi	50 yd
Apr 26, 2011	EF1	26.5 mi	100 yd
Apr 4, 2011	EF1	1.3 mi	100 yd
Oct 29, 2009	EF0	3.4 mi	50 yd
Oct 29, 2009	EF1	5.5 mi	75 yd

Deadliest: Dec 3, 1978, F3, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Union Parish, LA57 Calhoun County, AR18 Bradley County, AR21 Claiborne Parish, LA32 Ouachita County, AR23 Columbia County, AR35 Lincoln Parish, LA30 Ashley County, AR43

Questions

How many tornadoes has Union County, Arkansas had?

45 tornadoes touched Union County, Arkansas between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.6 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Union County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on Dec 3, 1978, with a 60-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Union County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in April (11 of 45). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available.