NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Helena, AR
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Helena, Arkansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Helena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Helena: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of West Helena
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s12
- 2000s7
- 1990s4
- 1980s12
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 5.7 mi | 5 / 10 |
| Apr 24, 1976 | F3 | 17 mi | 24.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 29, 1956 | F3 | 5 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 24 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| Dec 21, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 10.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 1962 | F2 | 17 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 22.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 28, 2015 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 12 mi | 4.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 2009 | EF2 | 19 mi | 33.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of West Helena while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.