Fort Smith, AR Tornado History — 137 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Fort Smith, AR had?
Fort Smith has had 137 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 15 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Fort Smith?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Fort Smith was an EF1 on June 6, 2025.
When is tornado season in Fort Smith?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Fort Smith, with 46 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 Fort Smith
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 58 total, averaging 2.9 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Fort Smith since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Fort Smith. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
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 Fort Smith
51 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Fort Smith since 1950, across 8 events. 649 injuries have been reported across all events. 1960 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on May 5, 1960, which caused 16 fatalities along a 62.4-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Fort Smith
About Tornadoes in Fort Smith
This overview was written July 28, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Fort Smith, the Sebastian County seat on the Arkansas River at the Oklahoma border, carries a tornado history dominated by spring storms but punctuated by dangerous cold-season strikes.
Its tornadoes cluster heavily in April and May, and several of those spring events were severe. On April 30, 1954, an F3 tracked 40.7 miles through the area. On May 6, 1960, an F4 traveled 62.4 miles, killing 16 people and injuring 106, amid a day when multiple tornadoes moved through the region. An F4 on April 19, 1968 carved a 2-mile path, killing 14 people and injuring 270. On March 26, 1976, an F5 cut an 11.9-mile swath, killing two people and injuring 64. On April 22, 1996, an F3 roughly 1,050 yards wide moved 10.1 miles through the area, killing two and injuring 89.
Winter has struck hard as well. An F4 on January 22, 1957 killed 10 people and injured 20, and an EF2 on December 1, 2018 injured two people and caused $2,500,000 in property damage along a 5.6-mile path. The threat remains current: EF2 tornadoes crossed the area on May 25, 2015 and April 13, 2018, and EF1 tornadoes touched down near the city as recently as June 6, 2025.