While the state has experienced lower-than-usual spring temperatures for 2013, the National Weather Service says, Arkansas' tornado count is on par for an average season.
Between Jan. 1 and April 30, the weather service puts the official number of tornadoes for the state at 12. Meteorologist John Robinson said that in a normal season, the state's average number of tornadoes for the first four months of the year is 14.
"Most people would probably think the number is greater than this, primarily due to the few blockbuster springtimes we have had in the last 20 years," Robinson said.
Those years include 2011, when a total of 59 tornadoes ripped through the state, and 2008, when Arkansas saw a total of 43 confirmed twisters.
Robinson adds that there have been some years in which the tornado count has been "amazingly low," such as 2002 (one tornado) and 2005 (four).
Robinson noted that the tornado season isn't over yet — May is typically the state's "peak month" for tornadic activity, he says — and the lower temperatures may push severe weather into June.
"June typically shows a sharp drop-off in the number of tornadoes in Arkansas (although it is a busy month for the nation as a whole)," Robinson said. "This year, it is entirely possible that June could be more active than usual in the state."
Per Robinson, the totals for the past 14 years are as follows:
2013: 12
2012: 10
2011: 59
2010: 20
2009: 11
2008: 43
2007: 13
2006: 17
2005: 4
2004: 19
2003: 15
2002: 1
2001: 15
2000: 18