Tornado history in Jonesboro and Craighead County
We went through every tornado record NOAA holds for Craighead County, from 1950 to mid-2026. The county shows up 54 times, on 35 different days, from March 20, 1955 to May 16, 2025. Each record is one tornado's path inside the county, so a tornado that crossed a county line counts once here.
29 of the 54 came in 2000 or later, and 17 came between 2020 and 2025. The busiest year was 1999, with 7. In all, the records list 38 deaths and 651 injuries caused directly by tornadoes in the county.
When is tornado season in Jonesboro?
Spring is the main season. 29 of the 54 records fall in March, April or May, and April has the most with 14. There's a second, smaller season in December and January, with 14 between them. The storms of December 10, 2021 and January 1999 both hit in that window. Only June and November have no tornado on record.
Tornado records per month, Craighead County, 1955 to 2025. From the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
What time of day they start
38 of the 54 began between 3 PM and 10 PM. The single busiest hour was 8 PM, with 8. 9 began between 10 PM and 6 AM, which is why a weather radio or phone alert that can wake you up matters. NOAA logs these times in local standard time, so add an hour for daylight saving time.
How strong they've been
Most were weak. 24 were rated F0 or EF0 and 14 were F1 or EF1. 16 were rated 2 or higher on 15 days, and 9 reached 3 or 4. The county has two F4s on record, in 1968 and 1973. None has been rated 5.
The F scale was replaced by the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale in 2007, so older storms are listed as F and newer ones as EF.
By decade
The 2020s count covers only 2020 to 2025 and is already the highest of any decade. 21 of the 24 F0 and EF0 tornadoes were logged in 1990 or later, so older decades may be missing some weak, short-lived ones. Compare decades with that in mind.
The strongest and deadliest tornadoes
These are the records rated 3 or higher, plus any with a death. Damage is in the dollars of that year, as NOAA lists it.
| Date | Start (CST) | Rating | Miles in county | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Property damage | Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 25, 1957 | 11:59 PM | F3 | 0.5 | 313 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Not listed |
| May 15, 1968 | 9:50 PM | F4 | 12.6 | 167 | 34 | 350 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| April 7, 1972 | 4:10 PM | F3 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | Not listed |
| May 26, 1973 | 11:15 PM | F4 | 13.8 | 300 | 3 | 257 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| April 3, 1984 | 4:38 PM | F3 | 33 | 200 | 0 | 2 | $25 million | Not listed |
| March 1, 1997 | 4:19 PM | F3 | 5 | 200 | 0 | 2 | $25,000 | Egypt |
| March 28, 2020 | 3:58 PM | EF3 | 12.53 | 600 | 0 | 22 | $300 million | Jonesboro to Aetna |
| December 10, 2021 | 7:07 PM | EF3 | 17.68 | 1800 | 1 | 5 | $2.5 million | Needham to Delfore, continued into Mississippi County |
| April 2, 2025 | 5:28 PM | EF3 | 21.98 | 1500 | 0 | 8 | $4 million | Davis to Delfore |
On May 15, 1968, an F4 killed 34 people and injured 350 in Craighead County. In 2020, an EF3 on March 28 ran from Jonesboro toward Aetna with a path 600 yards wide. In 2021, the December 10 EF3 was 1,800 yards wide, crossed 17.68 miles of the county and continued into Mississippi County. On April 2, 2025, two tornadoes were logged at 5:28 PM: an EF3 from Davis to Delfore and an EF2 from Risher to Oak Ridge.
See all 54 tornado records
| Date | Start (CST) | Rating | Miles in county | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Property damage | Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | 6:46 AM | EF1 | 7.11 | 150 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 | Elm Grove to Mangrum |
| April 2, 2025 | 5:28 PM | EF2 | 14.45 | 700 | 0 | 0 | $750,000 | Risher to Oak Ridge |
| April 2, 2025 | 5:28 PM | EF3 | 21.98 | 1500 | 0 | 8 | $4 million | Davis to Delfore |
| March 14, 2025 | 11:16 PM | EF0 | 0.9 | 150 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 | Herndon to Rock Hill, continued into Greene County |
| March 14, 2025 | 11:03 PM | EF0 | 1.4 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 | Dorothy |
| April 13, 2022 | 1:36 PM | EF1 | 5.36 | 200 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 | Aetna to Maysville |
| March 6, 2022 | 3:54 PM | EF0 | 2.46 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Chilson to Richer |
| February 22, 2022 | 5:24 AM | EF0 | 2.81 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Cary |
| December 10, 2021 | 8:30 PM | EF1 | 4.62 | 75 | 0 | 0 | $100,000 | Dryden to Winesburg |
| December 10, 2021 | 7:07 PM | EF3 | 17.68 | 1800 | 1 | 5 | $2.5 million | Needham to Delfore, continued into Mississippi County |
| December 10, 2021 | 7:03 PM | EF0 | 1.31 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 | Bay |
| December 10, 2021 | 6:57 PM | EF1 | 6.14 | 150 | 0 | 0 | $125,000 | Cary to Apt |
| August 27, 2020 | 8:24 PM | EF1 | 0.89 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $35,000 | Goobertown |
| August 27, 2020 | 8:13 PM | EF1 | 4.47 | 120 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 | Bowman to Claunch |
| August 27, 2020 | 7:31 PM | EF1 | 3.56 | 70 | 0 | 0 | $15,000 | Dryden to Egypt |
| April 8, 2020 | 6:47 PM | EF0 | 0.89 | 30 | 0 | 0 | $8,000 | Chilson |
| March 28, 2020 | 3:58 PM | EF3 | 12.53 | 600 | 0 | 22 | $300 million | Jonesboro to Aetna |
| May 17, 2018 | 12:32 PM | EF0 | 0.85 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Monette |
| July 3, 2017 | 5:28 AM | EF1 | 0.09 | 75 | 0 | 0 | $750,000 | Jonesboro |
| October 31, 2013 | 6:37 PM | EF1 | 3.69 | 300 | 0 | 0 | $500,000 | Degelow to Caraway |
| April 27, 2011 | 2:17 PM | EF0 | 0.59 | 75 | 0 | 0 | $30,000 | Monette |
| April 27, 2011 | 2:08 PM | EF1 | 1.6 | 250 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | Bowman |
| April 27, 2011 | 2:01 PM | EF2 | 1.23 | 200 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 | Hergett |
| April 27, 2011 | 1:55 PM | EF0 | 0.26 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 | Ridge |
| May 1, 2010 | 8:58 PM | EF0 | 0.03 | 25 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Sandy |
| April 3, 2007 | 5:57 PM | EF0 | 0.03 | 25 | 0 | 0 | $2,500 | Needham |
| April 3, 2007 | 5:54 PM | EF1 | 0.06 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | Nettleton |
| May 4, 2003 | 6:39 PM | F2 | 3 | 300 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 | Black Oak |
| May 9, 2000 | 3:40 PM | F0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 | Black Oak |
| January 21, 1999 | 10:00 PM | F0 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 | Bay |
| January 21, 1999 | 9:40 PM | F0 | 2.5 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 | Lake View |
| January 21, 1999 | 9:20 PM | F0 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $100 | Jonesboro |
| January 21, 1999 | 8:55 PM | F0 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 | Egypt |
| January 21, 1999 | 8:10 PM | F0 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | $100 | Lanieve |
| January 17, 1999 | 4:45 PM | F2 | 11 | 75 | 0 | 0 | $150,000 | Lake City |
| January 17, 1999 | 3:45 PM | F0 | 16 | 75 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 | Risher to Bono |
| May 27, 1997 | 12:55 AM | F0 | 0.1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | $10 | Jonesboro |
| March 1, 1997 | 4:19 PM | F3 | 5 | 200 | 0 | 2 | $25,000 | Egypt |
| April 19, 1995 | 9:30 PM | F0 | 0.5 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 | Caraway |
| July 2, 1994 | 4:27 PM | F0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 | Cash |
| April 3, 1984 | 4:38 PM | F3 | 33 | 200 | 0 | 2 | $25 million | Not listed |
| December 24, 1982 | 8:10 PM | F1 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | Not listed |
| December 24, 1982 | 7:32 PM | F1 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| December 24, 1982 | 6:47 PM | F1 | 0.3 | 100 | 0 | 1 | $250,000 | Not listed |
| August 16, 1978 | 8:45 PM | F0 | 0.1 | 27 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Not listed |
| August 16, 1978 | 7:30 PM | F0 | 6.1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $2,500 | Not listed |
| August 13, 1978 | 5:50 AM | F2 | 4.5 | 50 | 0 | 3 | $2.5 million | Not listed |
| September 14, 1977 | 4:30 PM | F0 | 0.1 | 27 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Not listed |
| March 29, 1976 | 5:10 PM | F2 | 9.5 | 33 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| May 26, 1973 | 11:15 PM | F4 | 13.8 | 300 | 3 | 257 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| April 7, 1972 | 4:10 PM | F3 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | Not listed |
| May 15, 1968 | 9:50 PM | F4 | 12.6 | 167 | 34 | 350 | $25,000 | Not listed |
| April 25, 1957 | 11:59 PM | F3 | 0.5 | 313 | 0 | 0 | $0 | Not listed |
| March 20, 1955 | 3:30 PM | F2 | 36.7 | 250 | 0 | 1 | $25,000 | Not listed |
What this means for a shelter
The records show tornadoes in Craighead County in 10 of the 12 months, often in the evening and sometimes after dark. A shelter at home cuts out the drive to a public shelter during a watch. The price guide has a cost estimator, and the FEMA and ICC 500 page explains what tested to a tornado standard means.
How we counted
We downloaded NOAA NCEI's Storm Events bulk detail files for 1950 through 2026 (NCEI Storm Events bulk CSV files) on October 23, 2026. The newest file runs through June 2026. We kept rows where the event type is Tornado, the state is Arkansas and the county is Craighead (county FIPS 31). Every count, total and chart on this page is worked out from those rows, with nothing added or estimated.
A few things to keep in mind. Each row is one tornado's path inside Craighead County, and a tornado that crossed a county line has a separate row in each county. Path length and width are for the Craighead County part only. Deaths and injuries are the direct ones NOAA lists for the county segment. NOAA's tornado records start in 1950 (NCEI, event types by period), and the first Craighead County tornado in them is from 1955. You can download the rows we used as JSON.
Quick answers
When is tornado season in Jonesboro?
In the NOAA records for Craighead County, 29 of the 54 tornado segments since 1955 were in March, April or May, and April alone had 14. December and January add a second, smaller peak with 14. Only June and November have no recorded tornadoes.
How many tornadoes have hit Jonesboro and Craighead County?
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 54 tornado segments in Craighead County on 35 different days, from 1955 through May 16, 2025. 25 of them came in 2010 or later.
What was the worst tornado in Jonesboro's history?
By deaths, the F4 on May 15, 1968. NOAA records 34 deaths and 350 injuries in Craighead County from it. The costliest in the records is the EF3 of March 28, 2020, which ran 12.53 miles from Jonesboro toward Aetna and is listed at $300 million in property damage, with 22 injuries.
What time of day do tornadoes hit Jonesboro?
Most in the afternoon and evening. 38 of the 54 segments began between 3 PM and 10 PM local standard time. 9 began between 10 PM and 6 AM, when people are more likely to be asleep.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, bulk CSV detail files, retrieved October 23, 2026.
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