April has a devastating history of severe weather in Arkansas. The 2011 Super Outbreak began on April 25, 2011, and spanned for four days, becoming the largest, costliest and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks recorded.
This outbreak contained more than 260 tornadoes, with 18 hitting Arkansas. Some of the hardest hit areas were in Vilonia, Fountain Lake and the Little Rock Air Force Base.
The strongest tornado of the day in Arkansas, an EF-3, was recorded in Garland County. One person lost their life in that storm. The Faulkner County tornado moved through Vilonia and was recorded as an EF-2 on April 25, 2011. Four people lost their lives in that tornado.
Cleanup begins in a Vilonia, Ark., neighborhood Tuesday, April 26, 2011, after a tornado struck the area the night before. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) 
Debris is scattered in a Vilonia, Ark., neighborhood Tuesday, April 26, 2011, after a tornado struck the town the night before. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) 
FILE – In this April 26, 2011 file photo, a building is seen destroyed in Vilonia, Ark., after a tornado struck the area. Because twisters are so small and short-lived, unlike hurricanes that meteorologists track for days lumbering toward the coast, they are somewhat of a mystery for forecasters. Meteorologists now give notice up to five days in advance that thunderstorm conditions are going to be ripe for tornadoes, but thats only as they forecast storm systems come together. Its ever changing, so it cant be statistical enough to provide the public with a longer term heads up, like they get with El Nino or hurricane seasons. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
Three years later, almost to the day, on April 27, 2014, Violnia was hit was an even stronger tornado. An EF-4 hit Faulkner County, claiming 12 lives.
While the April 2014 tornado outbreak was very impactful for Arkansas, it is much lower in the record books as far as the number of confirmed tornadoes than the April 2011 tornado outbreak. April 27-30, 2014 has 82 confirmed tornadoes.
A Vilonia High School license plate sits in storm debris in Vilonia, Ark., Thursday, May 1, 2014. Sunday’s storm was rated as a “high-end” EF4 on a scale of tornado strength. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) 
FILE – In this April 30, 2014 file photo, Dustin Shaw lifts debris as he searches through what is left of his sister’s house in Vilonia, Ark. Forecasters who are troubled by the high death count from twisters in recent years say they must find better ways to communicate if the public is going to behave appropriately as bad weather approaches. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File) 
A woman walks into a destroyed store front at Vilonia Shopping Center in Vilonia, Ark., Thursday, May 1, 2014. A tornado struck the town late Sunday. Forecasters say a tornado that hit Little Rock’s suburbs and killed 15 people had winds approaching 200 mph. Sunday’s storm was rated as a “high-end” EF4 on a scale of tornado strength.(AP Photo/Danny Johnston) 
FILE – This Monday, April 28, 2014 aerial photo shows destroyed buildings and debris along U.S. Highway 64 in Vilonia, Ark. Vilonia was hit hard Sunday for the second time in three years. Four people were killed in a 2011 storm. Until this late April 2014 outbreak, the U.S. as a whole had by far the quietest start of the year for tornadoes. Longer trends show more tornado clusters recently. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
After the 2011 Super Outbreak, the second largest tornado outbreak with the most tornadoes in a single 24-hour period was the 1974 Super Outbreak. This outbreak did not impact Arkansas.
The third largest tornado outbreak has recently been replaced by the March 21/ April 1 Tornado Outbreak that impacted Arkansas. From March 31 through April 1, 130 tornadoes were counted in a 24-hour period.
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