Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Polk County, Arkansas: hurricane history

15 storms have passed within 50 km of Polk County from 1911 to 2019, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Polk County

The record holds 15 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Polk County, Arkansas between 1911 and 2019. The busiest month is September, with 6 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached tropical storm strength.

  • 15storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 0at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Polk County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression1493%
Tropical storm17%
Category 100%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity00%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Polk County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 2000s.1910s21920s11930s11940s21960s11970s11980s22000s32010s2

The 2010s only run to 2019, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1911, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1910s2
1920s1
1930s1
1940s2
1960s1
1970s1
1980s2
2000s3
2010s2

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 6 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun2Jul2Aug5Sep6Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun2
Jul2
Aug5
Sep6
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Polk County

  • Ike (2008)1 September 2008 to 15 September 2008, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 935 hPa

Most recent storms near Polk County

  • Barry (2019)10 July 2019 to 16 July 2019, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (65 kt), 993 hPa
  • Isaac (2012)20 August 2012 to 1 September 2012, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (70 kt), 966 hPa
  • Ike (2008)1 September 2008 to 15 September 2008, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 935 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

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