Lavaca, Arkansas
25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Township 1. It lies in ZIP code area 72941. The Survey maps it on the Lavaca quadrangle. 2,450 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 423 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresLavaca grew from 2,289 to 2,450 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,289 | |
| 2020 | 2,450 | +161 (+7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 25 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1890 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1906 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:62500
- 1943 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:125000
- 1946 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1947 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1947 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:62500
- 1951 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1976 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1987 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:24000
- 1997 USGS Lavaca quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
38 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 38 fires within 5 miles of Lavaca between 1997 and 2017, burning about 481 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 30 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2004 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 12 September 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 10 September 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
53 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lavaca in 53 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 11 flash flood, 5 flood. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | 1 killed, $400,000 | Portions of Highways 96 and 255 were closed near Lavaca. Portions of Highway 22 were closed near Fort Chaffee. Reportedly, 38 homes were flood-damaged in Fort Smith and seven were flood-damaged in Barling. A woman delivering newspapers drove into flood water across Kinkead Avenue on the east side of Fort Smith, and was washed off the road where she drowned. |
| August 2014 | Lightning | Lavaca | 1 hurt | A man was struck and injured by lightning while standing on his porch, moving plants indoors out of the weather. The lightning struck a neighbor's tree about 30 yards from his porch. The victim was knocked unconscious and was taken to a nearby hospital. |
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | $150,000 | Emergency management reported nineteen homes flooded in Lavaca. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Lavaca | $125,000 | Tennis ball size hail damaged homes, businesses, and vehicles. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | $100,000 | An apartment complex was evacuated due to high water from an overflowing creek. Flood water was several inches deep in some first-story apartments. |
| March 2000 | Hail | Lavaca | $100,000 | Softball size hail fell in Lavaca likely damaging cars, roofs and windows. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Lavaca | $25,000 | no account filed |
| October 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $15,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind damaged the roof and exterior walls of a building on Military Road. The strong wind also uprooted trees. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $5,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $5,000 | Power lines were blown down by strong thunderstorm winds. |
| September 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Lavaca | $4,000 | no account filed |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power lines. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power lines on Adams Street. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs and power lines. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and power lines. |
| September 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $500 | Thunderstorm winds downed some tree limbs. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $500 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $100 | Thunderstorm winds blew down trees onto Highway 22. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $100 | A large tree was uprooted in Lavaca. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | $100 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Multiple roadways were flooded east of Lavaca, including portions of Highway 96. |
| February 2023 | Flood | Lavaca | - | Portions of Crowe Road near E Utah Ranch Road were flooded northeast of Lavaca. |
| March 2023 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Locally heavy rainfall resulted in widespread flooding in Lavaca. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | - | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees. |
| February 2019 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Portions of Highway 252 were closed due to flooding between Sullivan Road and Highway 217. |
| November 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | - | Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted trees. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Lavaca | - | Portions of Highway 252 were closed due to flooding. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Lavaca | - | Highway 96 east of Lavaca was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Lavaca | - | Highway 252 southeast of Lavaca was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Lavaca | - | Portions of Highway 96 were closed due to flooding. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Adams Street in Lavaca was flooded. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | The Lavaca City Park was flooded. |
| October 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | - | Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs. |
| March 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | - | Two inch diameter tree limbs were blown down onto Highway 96. |
| August 2009 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Portions of 18th Street were flooded. |
| January 2007 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | Several roads were flooded and closed around town. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lavaca | - | Severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Arkansas during the early morning of July 24th. Strong thunderstorm winds downed trees at Devil's Den State Park six miles southeast of Strickler, and several utility lines were blown down by strong winds in Lavaca. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| March 2024 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| December 1996 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| January 1995 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
| January 1995 | Hail | Lavaca | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Grove | 2.1 miles | 25 | |
| Bloomer | 3.4 miles | 25 | |
| Ursula | 4.3 miles | 22 | |
| Central City | 4.3 miles | 25 | |
| Beverly | 4.5 miles | 22 | |
| Island | 6.0 miles | 22 | |
| Auburn (historical) | 6.1 miles | 25 | |
| Carnis | 6.3 miles | 21 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Lavaca | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2331006 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 77456. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.













