Arkansas, 1997
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 1997 was 742 against 1,198 in 1996.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 1997 | Saline | Tornado | F4 | $25,000,000 | 10 | 40 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Clark | Tornado | F4 | $120,000,000 | 6 | 100 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Pulaski | Tornado | F4 | $50,000,000 | 5 | 180 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Jackson | Tornado | F2 | $10,000,000 | 2 | 30 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Jackson | Tornado | F2 | $25,000,000 | 1 | 30 |
| 28 Jun 1997 | Cleburne | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 12 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Greene | Tornado | F3 | $500,000 | 1 | 5 |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Logan | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | 1 | 3 |
| 23 Jul 1997 | Clark | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| 13 Aug 1997 | Jefferson | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2 May 1997 | Phillips | High Wind | 63 mph | $25,000 | 1 | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Johnson | Flash Flood | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | White | Tornado | F2 | $20,000 | — | 14 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Hot Spring | Tornado | F4 | $2,000,000 | — | 11 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | White | Tornado | F3 | $50,000 | — | 5 |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Crawford | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $170,000 | — | 3 |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Washington | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $150,000 | — | 3 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Lonoke | Tornado | F2 | $150,000 | — | 3 |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Sebastian | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $12,000 | — | 3 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Nevada | Tornado | F3 | $2,000,000 | — | 2 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Lawrence | Tornado | F3 | $500,000 | — | 2 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Craighead | Tornado | F3 | $25,000 | — | 2 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Pope | Tornado | F1 | $5,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Columbia | Flash Flood | — | $11,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Conway | Tornado | F2 | $500,000 | — | 1 |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Miller | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Union | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Pulaski | Tornado | F2 | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Saline | Tornado | F2 | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Union | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Independence | Tornado | F2 | $3,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Searcy | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Benton | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Hempstead | Tornado | F2 | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Poinsett | Flood | — | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Cross | Tornado | F3 | $750,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Craighead | Flood | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Woodruff | Tornado | F2 | $500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Mar 1997 | Clay | Flood | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 20 Feb 1997 | Crawford | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $200,000 | — | — |
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 1997
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1997 | DR-1176 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding, Severe Storms | 28 |
| 2 Mar 1997 | DR-1162 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornadoes | 25 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss
199 NFIP claims, 162 of them paid, for $2,013,874.
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.