Severe Weather & Tornado Alerts

The National Weather Service alerts in force for Sebastian County right now — tornado, thunderstorm and flood warnings — with the wind at Fort Smith and how to get warned indoors.

[data-tool-body-wait]{display:none}This part of the page needs JavaScript, and this browser isn’t running it. Everything else on the page still reads.

This still hasn’t loaded. It looks stuck rather than slow, so reloading is worth a try now.

Reload the page Other tools for Fort Smith

About these tools

Town Tools builds free, public tools for Fort Smith and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Where to check, before and during

NWS Tulsa — warnings, radar & forecastThe forecast office for Fort Smith: watches, warnings and the local radar.

Sebastian County Emergency ManagementOfficial public storm-shelter map and emergency-notification sign-up. Office: 479-783-3932.

NOAA Weather Radio — Arkansas coverageSet a weather radio to Sebastian County SAME code 005131 for automatic alerts.

Get an email when a warning is issued

Official warnings, forwarded the moment the national service issues one for the area — headline and all, in its own words. Nothing in between. No account, one-click unsubscribe.

Worth knowing

April 21, 1996 — why a warning isn't a guarantee

A tornado rated F3 crossed west Fort Smith into Van Buren late on April 21, 1996, killing two children, injuring dozens and damaging around 1,800 homes and much of the historic downtown. The Weather Service later reported it had issued only a severe thunderstorm warning — from Tulsa, the radar was overshooting the storm, so the tornado threat looked like it was fading — and downed phone lines meant the sirens were never sounded. The lesson locals took: don't rely on the sirens alone. Have more than one way to get a warning.

The sirens are for outdoors

The city runs about 31 outdoor warning sirens (Fort Smith Police), tested on calm days most weeks. They are meant to reach people who are outside — you may not hear them indoors, asleep or over an air conditioner. Treat a siren as one signal among several, not your only one. Sirens concerns line: 479-709-5000.

How to get warned indoors

Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone (tornado warnings come through automatically, no sign-up), and consider a NOAA Weather Radio set to the Sebastian County SAME code 005131. Sign up for the county's emergency notifications through Sebastian County Emergency Management. When a tornado warning is issued, go to a small interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows.