Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 135 hail storms within 25 miles of Van Buren, AR. Of those, 97 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 39 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Van Buren| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 1 event | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 17 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 13 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 66 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 38 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 39 events |
| 2025 | 21 events |
| 2024 | 16 events |
| 2023 | 26 events |
| 2022 | 33 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Van Buren, with 39 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Van Buren typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-21 | 2 NE Bonanza, AR | Moderate | 0.50" | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 2026-05-09 | 3 N Muldrow, OK | Destructive | 2.50" | Picture of hail damage to a vehicle relayed by broadcast media. Hail was estimated to be tennis ball size. Time approximated from KSRX radar. |
| 2026-05-09 | Roland, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-09 | Muldrow, OK | Significant | 1.00" | Time estimated via radar. |
| 2026-05-09 | 2 SW Van Buren, AR | Significant | 1.00" | Relayed via spotter network. |
| 2026-05-09 | 2 N Barling, AR | Moderate | 0.75" | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 S Fort Smith, AR | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 N Van Buren, AR | Significant | 1.00" | Relayed via spotter network. |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 N Barling, AR | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-05-09 | Central City, AR | Moderate | 0.88" | Numerous dime to nickel size hail reported to broadcast media from Barling to Central City. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 E Fort Smith, AR | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 W Barling, AR | Significant | 1.25" | Damage to vegetation reported. Time revised from radar estimate. |
| 2026-05-09 | 1 SW Fort Smith, AR | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-05-08 | MULDROW, OK | Destructive | 2.50" | Hail up to tennis ball size damaged homes and vehicles. |
| 2026-05-08 | MULDROW, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-08 | ROLAND, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-08 | OAK PARK, AR | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-08 | FT SMITH, AR | Significant | 1.25" | Hail up to half dollar size damaged homes and vehicles. |
| 2026-05-08 | FT SMITH, AR | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-08 | FT SMITH, AR | Severe | 1.75" | Hail up to golf ball size damaged homes, businesses, and vehicles. |
NOAA has recorded 139 high-wind events within 25 miles of Van Buren, AR in the past five years. Of those, 139 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 85 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 118 events |
| Significant | 21 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-07 | 3 E Mill Creek, AR | 59 | Significant | Peak gust observed at KFSM. |
| 2026-06-22 | URSULA, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Highway 252. |
| 2026-06-18 | FT SMITH, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree near the intersection of Waldron Road and Grand Avenue. |
| 2026-05-19 | MOUNTAINBURG, AR | 60 | Significant | Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs. |
| 2026-04-25 | GREENWOOD, AR | 64 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs, some of which fell onto power lines. |
| 2026-04-15 | URSULA, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Highway 22 near Plantation Lane. |
| 2026-04-15 | BONANZA, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Bear Hollow Road near Bear Hollow Heights. |
| 2026-04-15 | JENSON, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Bear Hollow Road near Highway 45. |
| 2026-04-15 | CHARLESTON, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto power lines. |
| 2026-04-15 | JENSON, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Highway 45. |
| 2026-04-04 | MULDROW, OK | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind damaged an outbuilding. |
| 2026-04-04 | MULDROW, OK | 81 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted a tree, snapped large tree limbs, and damaged the roof of a home in a broad area from south of Muldrow to Shady Grove. |
| 2026-04-04 | ROLAND, OK | 75 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted a tree. |
| 2026-04-04 | VAN BUREN, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind split a tree, and a large portion of it fell onto a house on Sylvan Hills Road. |
| 2026-04-04 | FIGURE FIVE, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto Richmond Road. |
| 2026-04-04 | OAK PARK, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree on Riverfront Drive near Williams Lane. |
| 2026-04-04 | VAN BUREN, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs and damaged the roofs of several homes. |
| 2026-04-04 | RUDY, AR | 70 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree north of Rudy. |
| 2026-03-11 | POCOLA, OK | 64 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind damaged an outbuilding. |
| 2026-03-11 | BRADEN, OK | 64 | Severe | Strong thunderstorm wind damaged outbuildings and blew down signs. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Van Buren was on May 9, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Van Buren averages roughly 27 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 97 of the 135 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Van Buren in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Van Buren-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in AR cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Van Buren. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Van Buren took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationVan Buren sits inside the central United States hail belt, where warm Gulf moisture collides with cold continental air to produce supercell thunderstorms capable of dropping the hail documented above. Properties in this zone typically see at least one significant hail event every two to four years.