States › Arkansas › Woodruff County

Woodruff County, Arkansas

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 05147 · 6,116 residents (2021) · 586 sq mi · dominant hazard Flood

Hail · 46Tornado · 36Flood · 403Wind · 118Winter · 57

Woodruff County within Arkansas. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Woodruff County, Arkansas, has 700 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them floods and flash floods.

That is 119.5 events per 100 square miles, above the Arkansas figure of 94.2, and 1,144.5 per 10,000 residents against 161.8 statewide.

9 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 32 deaths and 223 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $32M and crop damage at $29M.

FEMA has designated the county in 28 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 72 claims since 1978, of which 68 were paid, totalling $1.7M (about $24K per paid claim). FEMA counts 29 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($8.5M a year across 18 hazards).

10 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

9events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

700events since 195032 deaths, 223 injuries recorded

28disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

72NFIP flood claims$1.7M paid

Compared with Arkansas and the United States

Measure	Woodruff County	Arkansas	US
Recorded events since 1950	700	48,966	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	119.5	94.2	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	1,144.5	161.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	9	1,151	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	32	668	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$32M	$6.4B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	11.8	3.4	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$24K	$27K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	69.0	23.0	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Tornado: 5

Hail: 2Tornado: 2

Tornado: 5

Hail: 4Tornado: 6Wind: 10

Hail: 17Tornado: 5Flood: 1Wind: 30Winter: 4Lightning: 1

Hail: 16Tornado: 9Flood: 32Wind: 44Winter: 16Tropical: 2Heat: 1Cold: 3Drought: 1Other: 2

Hail: 6Tornado: 2Flood: 238Wind: 27Winter: 30Tropical: 2Heat: 9Drought: 11Wildfire: 1Lightning: 1Other: 3

Tornado: 2Flood: 132Wind: 7Winter: 7Tropical: 1Other: 2

61950s41960s51970s201980s581990s1262000s3302010s1512020s

Recorded events in Woodruff County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 545 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 120 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Flood403

Wind118

Winter57

Hail46

Tornado36

Drought12

Heat10

Other7

Tropical5

Cold3

Lightning2

Wildfire1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Flood	403	—	7.1%	detail
■ Wind	118	—	0.7%	detail
■ Winter	57	—	1.2%	detail
■ Hail	46	—	0.4%	detail
■ Tornado	36	32	1.4%	detail
■ Drought	12	—	0.7%
■ Heat	10	—	0.4%
■ Other	7	—	1.0%
■ Tropical	5	—	1.8%
■ Cold	3	—	0.6%
■ Lightning	2	—	0.5%
■ Wildfire	1	—	0.6%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
21 Mar 1952	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$2.5M	—	29	180	County
10 Nov 1995	Tornado	Tornado	F2	—	—	2	1	County
24 Dec 1982	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	1	—	County
12 Mar 1961	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	12	County
9 Feb 1960	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25K	—	—	10	County
26 May 1955	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	7	County
9 Mar 2006	Tornado	Tornado	F2	—	—	—	4	County
10 Dec 2021	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$500K	—	—	3	County
26 Mar 1976	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	2	County
26 Mar 1950	Tornado	Tornado	F2	—	—	—	2	County
7 Jan 1978	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25K	—	—	1	County
11 Mar 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
26 Jan 2009	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$10M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 May 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	$7.0M	—	—	County
1 Jul 2014	Flood	Flood	—	$10K	$4.5M	—	—	County
18 Mar 2008	Flood	Flood	—	$3.5M	$500K	—	—	County
1 May 2017	Flood	Flood	—	—	$3.5M	—	—	County
1 May 2017	Flood	Flood	—	—	$3.5M	—	—	County
1 Nov 2009	Flood	Flood	—	—	$3.0M	—	—	County
1 Nov 2009	Flood	Flood	—	—	$3.0M	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3636	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
21 May 2025	DR-4873	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
5 Apr 2025	EM-3627	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
23 Dec 2021	DR-4633	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
27 Aug 2020	EM-3541	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Laura	Public assistance
3 Apr 2020	DR-4518	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3461	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
15 Jun 2017	DR-4318	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Feb 2016	DR-4254	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
25 Jun 2013	DR-4124	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
2 May 2011	DR-1975	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Feb 2010	DR-1872	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
3 Dec 2009	DR-1861	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Jan 2009	EM-3301	Emergency	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Mar 2008	DR-1751	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
2 Sep 2005	EM-3215	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
7 May 2004	DR-1516	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Sever Storms, Flooding And Landslides	Public assistance
6 Jun 2003	DR-1472	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Jan 2002	DR-1400	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
29 Dec 2000	DR-1354	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Ice Storm	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Dec 2000	EM-3159	Emergency	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Ice Storm	Public assistance
2 Mar 1997	DR-1162	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
23 Nov 1988	DR-817	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms & Tornadoes	Individual assistance
31 Dec 1987	DR-807	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance
13 Dec 1982	DR-673	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance
20 Jan 1978	EM-3054	Emergency	Tornado	Tornadoes	Individual assistance
27 Apr 1973	DR-375	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Feb 1969	DR-254	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Woodruff County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197872

Paid claims68

Total paid$1.7M

Average paid claim$24K

Repetitive-loss properties153 severe

Residential policies in force290.9% of 3,421 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2025	4	4	$54,685	$13,671
2017	16	15	$465,692	$31,046
2016	2	2	$22,186	$11,093
2015	2	2	$96,224	$48,112
2014	4	4	$63,824	$15,956
2011	17	17	$527,242	$31,014
2009	7	7	$188,044	$26,863
2008	10	9	$213,277	$23,697
2003	1	0	$0	—
2001	1	1	$3,405	$3,405
1988	4	3	$5,979	$1,993
1987	1	1	$3,150	$3,150
1982	3	3	$15,228	$5,076

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskVery Lowscore 42.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$8.5MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very Low	$2,570,092
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$2,410,119
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$1,387,202
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$879,146
Ice storm	Relatively High	$501,343
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$203,414
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$187,572
Hail	Relatively Low	$107,567
Cold wave	Very Low	$96,587
Lightning	Relatively Low	$53,544
Hurricane	Very Low	$46,145
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$16,104
Wildfire	Very Low	$2,455
Landslide	Very Low	$40

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles10

Tracks within 50 miles2

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Laura	2020	90 mi	40 mph
Camille	1969	78 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1941	56 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1923	36 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	65 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1909	14 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1906	65 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1905	87 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	70 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1879	94 mi	46 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

72006 45
72101 25

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Woodruff County, AR?

NCEI records 46 hail events in Woodruff County since 1950, in 26 different years; that is about 0.6 recorded events a year. 11 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Woodruff County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 36 tornadoes in Woodruff County since 1950, 17 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 32.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Woodruff County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 28 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Woodruff County, and how much was paid?

72 NFIP claims since 1978, 68 of them paid, for $1.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Woodruff County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Woodruff County compare with the rest of Arkansas?

119.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 94.2 statewide, and 11.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 3.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.