Bentonville, AR Tornado History — 123 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Bentonville, AR had?
Bentonville has had 123 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 10 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Bentonville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Bentonville was an EF1 on June 18, 2025.
When is tornado season in Bentonville?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Bentonville, with 39 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Bentonville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 62 total, averaging 3.1 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Bentonville
7 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Bentonville since 1950, across 4 events. 151 injuries have been reported across all events. 2010 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF3 on December 31, 2010, which caused 4 fatalities along a 21.1-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Bentonville
About Tornadoes in Bentonville
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Bentonville sits in the northwest corner of Arkansas, on the Ozark Plateau where rolling uplands and wooded hollows meet the edge of the southern plains. This part of the state lies within the broad reach of the country's tornado-prone interior, and its mix of ridges and open valleys means severe storms are a familiar part of the warm season.
The tornado threat here is driven by the clash of air masses that sweeps across the mid-South each spring. Warm, humid air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler, drier air from the plains and the north, and when a strong jet stream aloft supplies wind shear, thunderstorms can organize into rotating supercells. Activity generally peaks in spring, with a lesser uptick possible in autumn, though the wooded Ozark terrain can make an approaching tornado hard to see.
Tornado intensity is rated on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which runs from EF0 to EF5 based on a survey of the damage rather than a direct wind measurement. Most tornadoes are relatively weak, but the region's climate can produce strong and occasionally violent ones. The tornado history for the Bentonville area — counts, the decade and rating breakdowns, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — is compiled from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and shown in the figures elsewhere on this page.