Arkansas, 1980
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1980 was 112 against 139 in 1979.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1980 | Drew | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Johnson | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 76 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Faulkner | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 15 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Sebastian | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 8 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Pulaski | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 5 |
| 17 Oct 1980 | Miller | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 3 |
| 17 Oct 1980 | Little River | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 2 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Lonoke | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 1 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Logan | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Pulaski | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Lonoke | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | White | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Pulaski | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Yell | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Conway | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Yell | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 17 Oct 1980 | Chicot | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Lonoke | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | White | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Searcy | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 3 Sep 1980 | Perry | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jul 1980 | Yell | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 11 Apr 1980 | Sevier | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 11 Apr 1980 | Sevier | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 11 Apr 1980 | Howard | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 7 Apr 1980 | Pulaski | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1980
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1980 | DR-617 | Major disaster | Tornado | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 5 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1980 date of loss
102 NFIP claims, 86 of them paid, for $534,121.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.