Fort Smith, AR Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Fort Smith in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Fort Smith What TALON shows

Which radars cover Fort Smith?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Fort Smith, AR is KSRX (Fort Smith), about 7 miles to the south-southeast. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Fort Smith	View of low-level rotation
KSRX Fort Smith, AR	7 mi south-southeast	300 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KINX Tulsa, OK	85 mi northwest	7,500 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KLZK Little Rock, AR	127 mi east-southeast	13,800 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Fort Smith's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Fort Smith

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 137 tornadoes within 25 miles of Fort Smith, 36 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and April. The strongest was an F5 on March 26, 1976, which passed about 11 miles south-southwest of the city and caused 2 deaths. The most recent was an EF1 on June 6, 2025, which passed about 25 miles west-northwest of the city.

Hail: 511 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Fort Smith since 1955, 59 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on March 26, 2000.

Tornadoes since 1950	137
EF2/F2 or stronger	36
Strongest tornado	F5 · Mar 1976
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	4.50 in · Mar 2000

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Fort Smith radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Fort Smith?

KSRX near Fort Smith, AR, about 7 miles away. A second radar, KINX (Tulsa), is 85 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Fort Smith?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Fort Smith the lowest scan from KSRX is roughly 300 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Fort Smith?

NOAA records show 137 tornadoes within 25 miles of Fort Smith since 1950 — about 1.8 a year on average, most often in May and April. Most were weak, but 36 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Fort Smith, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.