Craighead County, Arkansas: hail history 2014–2026
By density Craighead County lands #10 of 33 in Arkansas: 92.6 reports per 1,000 square miles from 66 reports. Hail reached 1 inch on 32 days and 1.75 inches on 6. Record: 4 inches (a grapefruit), April 15, 2022 near Lake City.
- 66reports
- 32days, 1 in+
- 6days, 1.75 in+
- 4 inlargest stone
Hail since my roof went on: Craighead County
Year by year
| Year | Reports | Days 1 in+ | Days 1.75 in+ | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.88 in |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.75 in |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2017 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2018 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2020 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2021 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2022 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 in |
| 2023 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in |
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 in |
2022 was the busiest year (12 reports) and 2014 the quietest (1). Craighead County averaged 7 reports a year from 2020 to 2025, 78% above the 4 of 2014 to 2019. 2026 stands at 2 through June, against a full-year average of 5. Days with 1-inch stones average 2.6 per full year.
Craighead County: reports by month
| Jan | 1 |
|---|---|
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 12 |
| Apr | 21 |
| May | 21 |
| Jun | 5 |
| Jul | 1 |
| Aug | 1 |
| Sep | 1 |
| Oct | 0 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 3 |
April dominates the calendar: 21 of 66 reports, 32%. March to May alone bring 82%. 16 of 66 reports fell outside April to September.
Largest stone: 4 inches
Reported hail locations, Craighead County
- 371 to 1.74 in
- 81.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 52.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 4 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
50 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineCraighead County’s ten biggest hail days
| Date | Size | Reports | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2022 | 4 in, a grapefruit | 10 | Lake City |
| December 23, 2015 | 2.75 in, a baseball | 2 | Ridge |
| May 22, 2024 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 3 | Jonesboro |
| April 26, 2017 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 2 | Bay |
| May 4, 2020 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 2 | Jonesboro |
| May 20, 2018 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 1 | Trinity |
| March 4, 2024 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 1 | Nettleton |
| March 14, 2025 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 1 | Valley View |
| May 15, 2019 | 1.25 in, a half dollar | 2 | Cash |
| March 14, 2024 | 1.25 in, a half dollar | 2 | Aetna |
“Peak diurnal heating hours, moisture, and enough lift caused damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding across northeast Arkansas.”
NWS report, May 22, 2024
“Hail sized from quarters to golf balls fell on the south side of Jonesboro.”
NWS report, May 4, 2020
Tornadoes and wind in Craighead County
19 tornadoes on record in Craighead County; the strongest listed is EF3, 21.98 miles long, near Davis. Top gust: 110 mph near Richer.
| Date | Rating | Path length | Width | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2025 | EF3 | 21.98 mi | 1500 yd | Davis · 0 deaths, 8 injured |
| December 10, 2021 | EF3 | 17.68 mi | 1800 yd | Needham · 1 deaths, 5 injured |
| March 28, 2020 | EF3 | 12.53 mi | 600 yd | Jonesboro · 0 deaths, 22 injured |
| April 2, 2025 | EF2 | 14.45 mi | 700 yd | Risher |
| May 16, 2025 | EF1 | 7.11 mi | 150 yd | Elm Grove |
| December 10, 2021 | EF1 | 6.14 mi | 150 yd | Cary |
| April 13, 2022 | EF1 | 5.36 mi | 200 yd | Aetna |
| December 10, 2021 | EF1 | 4.62 mi | 75 yd | Dryden |
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2025 | 110 mph | Richer |
| April 2, 2025 | 100 mph | Cash |
| April 2, 2025 | 98 mph | Bay |
| March 25, 2017 | 90 mph | Goobertown |
| May 16, 2025 | 85 mph | Rector Muni Arpt |
| May 16, 2025 | 85 mph | Mangrum |
Homes in Craighead County
Median build year in Craighead County: 1991. 65.4% of 47,983 homes predate 2000. Houses permitted since 2014: 6,663, or 138.9 per 1,000 homes. Busiest year: 2021.
| pre-1940 | 2.6% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.4% |
| 1950s | 3.8% |
| 1960s | 8.4% |
| 1970s | 17.5% |
| 1980s | 13.7% |
| 1990s | 17.0% |
| 2000s | 15.0% |
| 2010s | 18.4% |
| 2020+ | 1.3% |
| Year | Houses | All units |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 368 | 671 |
| 2015 | 390 | 470 |
| 2016 | 562 | 1,021 |
| 2017 | 472 | 810 |
| 2018 | 529 | 814 |
| 2019 | 566 | 862 |
| 2020 | 648 | 988 |
| 2021 | 740 | 1,094 |
| 2022 | 637 | 1,077 |
| 2023 | 561 | 945 |
| 2024 | 610 | 923 |
| 2025 | 580 | 973 |
Quick answers
How many hail reports has Craighead County had?
NOAA logged 66 hail reports in Craighead County, Arkansas, from 2014 to June 2026.
How many days had hail of 1 inch or larger in Craighead County?
32 days, including 6 days with hail of 1.75 inches or larger. The National Weather Service calls hail of 1 inch or larger severe.
What was the largest hail reported in Craighead County?
4 inches (a grapefruit), reported on April 15, 2022.
Which month has the most hail in Craighead County?
April has the most reports, 32% of the 66 in the record.
Does a hail day in the record mean my roof was damaged?
A counted day only means a spotter reported hail somewhere in the area. An inspection is the only way to know whether a roof was hit.
Next steps for Craighead County
Craighead County cities we cover
Next to Craighead County in the Arkansas ranking
- Washington County (156 reports)
- Pulaski County (114 reports)
- Sebastian County (91 reports)
- Faulkner County (71 reports)
Cite this page
Data version: NOAA Storm Events hail data, 2014 to June 2026, loaded October 6, 2026. All dataset versions. Download the table as CSV. Free to quote with credit under CC BY 4.0.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, public domain. Counts and tables on this page are free to reuse with credit to PickARoofer under CC BY 4.0.