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NOUS44 KLZK 290228
PNSLIT
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
830 PM CST THU DEC 28 2000
WINTER STORMS IN ARKANSAS
WINTER STORMS...STORM SYSTEMS THAT PRODUCE MOSTLY SNOW...SLEET...OR
FREEZING RAIN...ARE NOT AS COMMON IN ARKANSAS AS IN MANY AREAS OF THE
NORTHERN OR EASTERN U.S. IN MOST OF ARKANSAS...NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR AN
ENTIRE WINTER SEASON IS LESS THAN 10 INCHES. MOST OF SOUTHERN ARKANSAS HAS
A NORMAL ANNUAL SNOWFALL UNDER 5 INCHES.
HOWEVER...WINTER STORMS DO OCCUR IN ARKANSAS OCCASIONALLY AND LARGE AMOUNTS
OF SNOW OR ICE CAN ACCUMULATE IN THE STATE. THE HILLY AREAS OF NORTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS GET HIT WITH HEAVY SNOW OR ICE MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN OTHER AREAS OF
THE STATE...BUT ALL AREAS OF ARKANSAS HAVE EXPERIENCED A SNOWFALL OF 10
INCHES OR MORE AND ALL AREAS HAVE HAD DAMAGING ICE ACCUMULATIONS. THE LATTER
WAS ESPECIALLY THE CASE DURING DECEMBER 2000.
BELOW ARE LISTED SOME OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ICE STORMS AND SNOWSTORMS
THAT HAVE AFFECTED ARKANSAS. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN PART OF THE STATE
WAS HIT WITH HEAVY SNOW WHILE ANOTHER AREA OF THE STATE GOT SIGNIFICANT ICE
AT THE SAME TIME. FORTUNATELY...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXTREMELY RARE IN
ARKANSAS. THERE ARE NO RECORDS OF A FULL BLIZZARD IN THE STATE...BUT A
SNOWSTORM IN JANUARY 1966 DID PRODUCE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN SOME
AREAS.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ICE STORMS...
NOVEMBER 27 1839...A SEVERE ICE STORM AT LITTLE ROCK. FREEZING RAIN
APPARENTLY FELL WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 8 DEGREES.
DECEMBER 18-20 1897...A GENERAL SLEET STORM OCCURRED IN THE STATE
WITH HEAVY DAMAGE...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH.
MARCH 22 1898...ICE STORM IN NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS AFTER TEMPERATURES
IN THE 80S THE PREVIOUS DAY.
DECEMBER 10-14 1932...FIVE DAY PERIOD OF ICE MOSTLY IN THE EAST AND
SOUTH...SNOW IN THE NORTHWEST. THIS MAY BE THE LAST ICE STORM IN
THE STATE AS WIDESPREAD AND DAMAGING AS THE ICE STORMS OF DECEMBER
2000.
JANUARY 4 1950...ICE STORM ENVELOPS NORTHERN ARKANSAS AS AN ARCTIC
COLD FRONT DROPS TEMPERATURES FROM THE 60S INTO THE 20S.
FEBRUARY 1 1950...SEVERE ICE STORM ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS.
JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 1 1951...ONE OF THE WORST AND MOST WIDESPREAD ICE
STORMS EVER THROUGH THE CENTRAL U.S. NORTHERN ARKANSAS COVERED
WITH HEAVY ICE...UP TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE SOUTH.
FEBRUARY 13-15 1951...THREE DAY LONG ICE STORM ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS
ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE PREVIOUS ICE STORM. THESE STORMS HOWEVER
MAINLY AFFECTED ONLY THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE.
JANUARY 27 1957...SIGNIFICANT ICE STORM IN NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS.
MARCH 15 1960...ICE STORM IN NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS.
JANUARY 2 1974...ICE STORM ACROSS SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...LIGHT SNOW IN THE
NORTH.
JANUARY 1 1979...STATEWIDE ICE STORM WITH THE MOST ICE IN THE NORTHWEST.
TRAVEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT AND THERE WERE MANY POWER
OUTAGES...BUT THE DAMAGE DID NOT COMPARE TO THE ICE
STORMS OF DECEMBER 2000.
JANUARY 6-7 1979...ANOTHER STATEWIDE ICE STORM...THE SECOND IN LESS THAN A
WEEK. THIS TIME THE MOST ICE WAS IN THE
SOUTHEAST. AMOUNTS AND DAMAGE STILL PALED IN
COMPARISON TO THE DECEMBER 2000 STORMS.
DECEMBER 21 1983...MAJOR ICE STORM WITH UP TO 2 INCHES OF FREEZING RAIN
IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS...HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE LUMBER INDUSTRY.
DAMAGE WAS MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE...BUT IT WAS CONFINED MAINLY TO THE SOUTHERN
ONE HALF OF THE STATE.
MARCH 4 1989...ICE IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS DAMAGED MANY CHICKEN
HOUSES. MOST OF THE DAMAGE AND LOST POWER WAS IN THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF
THE STATE.
DECEMBER 22 1990...COMBINATION OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ALONG WITH SOME
SNOW LEFT A HEAVY ICE LAYER IN MANY AREAS THAT LASTED THROUGH
CHRISTMAS. THIS ICE STORM MOST AFFECTED AREAS ROUGHLY ALONG INTERSTATE 30
FROM ARKADELPHIA THROUGH LITTLE ROCK THEN UP THE U.S. 67 CORRIDOR TOWARD
WHITE COUNTY.
FEBRUARY 9-11 1994...SEVERE ICE STORM IN MUCH OF STATE...ESPECIALLY IN
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARKANSAS. THERE WERE SEVERAL PERIODS OF FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF OF ARKANSAS. AP&L HAD MOST
SIGNIFICANT STORM DAMAGE TO POWER LINES IN ITS HISTORY UP UNTIL THEN.
SOME AREAS WERE WITHOUT POWER FOR A WEEK OR LONGER.
JANUARY 1 1999...FREEZING RAIN CONTINUED FOR A NUMBER OF HOURS ACROSS CENTRAL
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS. MANY POWER OUTAGES OCCURRED IN THE LITTLE ROCK AREA
AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN NORTHERN ARKANSAS. THIS STORM WAS
CONFINED MAINLY TO THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF THE STATE. A WEAKER ICE STORM
OCCURRED NINE DAYS EARLIER...MOSTLY ON DECEMBER 23 1998 BUT THAT ONE DID
NOT CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. ANOTHER MINOR FREEZING RAIN EVENT
OCCURRED MOSTLY IN NORTHERN ARKANSAS A WEEK LATER...ON JANUARY
7-8 1999.
DECEMBER 12-13 2000...STATEWIDE MAJOR ICE STORM WITH OVER ONE INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION IN MOST AREAS OF THE STATE. THE LITTLE ROCK
METROPOLITAN AREA AND PINE BLUFF WERE HARDEST HIT WITH TREE
DAMAGE AND POWER FAILURES. ABOUT 300,000 HOMES AND
BUSINESSES LOST ELECTRIC POWER AND MANY AREAS WERE WITHOUT
ELECTRICITY FOR A WEEK. LIKELY THE MOST DAMAGING ICE STORM IN
ARKANSAS UP TO THAT TIME. TEMPERATURES FOR MOST OF THIS EVENT
WERE JUST BELOW FREEZING...SO MANY ROADWAYS DID NOT ICE UP MUCH
AND TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE...ALTHOUGH SLOW.
DECEMBER 25-27 2000...A SECOND MAJOR STATEWIDE ICE STORM IN TWO WEEKS. MOST
OF THE STATE AGAIN GOT AT LEAST ONE INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION.
MANY AREAS WERE WELL BELOW FREEZING WHEN THE FREEZING
PRECIPITATION STARTED AND ROADWAYS ICED UP SOLIDLY. TRAVEL
WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT THE NIGHT OF THE 25TH AND FOR MOST OF
THE 26TH UNTIL TEMPERATURES ROSE CLOSER TO THE FREEZING MARK.
SOUTHERN AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS WERE THE HARDEST HIT WITH
POWER FAILURES. EL DORADO AND HOT SPRINGS WERE ESPECIALLY HARD
HIT THIS TIME WITH POWER FAILURES AND THE LITTLE ROCK
METROPOLITAN AREA HAD ABOUT AS MANY POWER FAILURES AS THE ICE
STORM TWO WEEKS EARLIER. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POWER FAILURES
STATEWIDE WAS ABOUT EQUAL TO THE ICE STORM TWO WEEKS EARLIER.
FROM THE LIMITED DATA AVAILABLE ABOUT ICE STORMS IN ARKANSAS...IT APPEARS
THAT THE TWO STATEWIDE ICE STORMS OF DECEMBER 2000 HAVE BEEN THE
MOST WIDESPREAD AND DAMAGING ICE STORMS IN RECORDED STATE
HISTORY...WHICH DATES TO 1819. IT LOOKS CERTAIN THAT THE DAMAGE TO
POWER LINES AND LUMBER IN THE STATE WILL BE OF ALL-TIME RECORD
PROPORTIONS. BASED ON THE GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATOLOGY OF THE
AREA...CHANCES ARE TWO ICE STORMS THIS CLOSE TOGETHER OF THIS
MAGNITUDE LIKELY HAVE OCCURRED IN THE STATE BEFORE...BUT THERE IS NO
DOCUMENTATION OF IT. ANY PRECEDENT TO THIS MAY WELL HAVE OCCURRED
BEFORE MODERN RECORDED HISTORY FOR ARKANSAS BEGAN IN
1819.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORMS IN
ARKANSAS WEATHER HISTORY...
NOVEMBER 20 1829...TERRITORY-WIDE SNOWSTORM...LITTLE ROCK ALSO HAD ONE
INCH OF ICE.
MARCH 17 1892...LITTLE ROCK TO MEMPHIS HAD 8 INCHES OF SNOW. OFFICIAL RECORDS
FROM THIS TIME ARE VERY LIMITED...SO OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE
MAY HAVE HAD HEAVY SNOW OF THIS MAGNITUDE OR MORE.
JANUARY 17-18 1893...LITTLE ROCK HAS ITS ALL TIME RECORD SNOWFALL WITH
13 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION.
DECEMBER 8 1917...HEAVY SNOW MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF ARKANSAS...
LITTLE ROCK HAS 6 INCHES AND 21 INCHES FALLS AT THE UMPHERS RANGER
STATION IN YELL COUNTY.
JANUARY 10 1918...HEAVY SNOW IN MOST OF THE STATE WITH UP TO 30 INCHES
REPORTED IN THE NORTH. CALICO ROCK HAD 36 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE
GROUND AFTER THE STORM...THE GREATEST LEVEL SNOW DEPTH RECORDED
IN STATE HISTORY.
FEBRUARY 18-19 1921...HEAVY SNOW MOSTLY IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTIONS.
LITTLE ROCK HAS 11.6 INCHES AND SOME AREAS IN THE NORTH GET UP TO 20
INCHES.
FEBRUARY 20 1929...HEAVY SNOW IN MOST OF THE STATE WITH THE HEAVIEST IN
THE NORTH...LITTLE ROCK GETS 6.5 INCHES.
NOVEMBER 21-22 1929...HEAVY SNOW MAINLY IN CENTRAL...SOUTHERN...AND
EASTERN SECTIONS. LITTLE ROCK HAS 5 INCHES AND AN AREA FROM EL
DORADO TO CLARENDON HAS 8 INCHES.
DECEMBER 21 1929...EL DORADO GETS 18 INCHES OF SNOW AND MOST OF SOUTHERN
ARKANSAS GETS 9 INCHES OR MORE. THIS LIKELY GAVE MOST OF SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
A WHITE CHRISTMAS.
DECEMBER 17 1932...LITTLE ROCK GETS 6 INCHES OF SNOW AND HEAVIER AMOUNTS
FALL IN THE NORTHWEST. THE SOUTH AND EAST GET MAINLY ICE. THIS IMMEDIATELY
FOLLOWED A MAJOR ICE STORM IN MUCH OF THE STATE.
MARCH 11 1948...HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTHWEST WITH UP TO 13 INCHES IN
BENTON COUNTY. THIS ACCOMPANIED A RECORD COLD ARCTIC OUTBREAK FOR MARCH
IN THE STATE.
DECEMBER 12 1958...HEAVY SNOW IN ALL BUT THE EXTREME SOUTH...PINE BLUFF
GETS 10.5 INCHES.
JANUARY 5-6 1960...HEAVY SNOW MAINLY ACROSS CENTRAL ARKANSAS. LITTLE ROCK
GETS 11.6 INCHES AND THE HEAVIEST SNOW FALLS FROM WALDRON TO
BRINKLEY.
MARCH 1-2 1960...HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTH WITH UP TO 7 1/2 INCHES...THE
SOUTH GETS 1 TO 2 INCHES OF FREEZING RAIN.
DECEMBER 22 1963...HEAVY SNOW MOSTLY IN THE SOUTH...CENTRAL...AND EAST.
LITTLE ROCK GETS 9.8 INCHES...PINE BLUFF GETS OVER 10 INCHES...AND
MUCH OF EASTERN ARKANSAS GETS 10 TO 13 INCHES.
JANUARY 28 1966...NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS REPORTED IN MUCH OF THE
STATE...PINE BLUFF GETS THE MOST SNOW WITH 12.5 INCHES.
FEBRUARY 22-23 1966...HEAVY SNOW FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. LITTLE
ROCK GETS 9.6 INCHES.
DECEMBER 23 1966...A GENERAL 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN
ARKANSAS...BUT HARRISON GETS 22 INCHES. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM BECAME
A MAJOR DISRUPTIVE BLIZZARD-LIKE STORM ALONG THE EAST COAST FOR
CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY.
MARCH 21 1968...HEAVY SNOW CONFINED TO EASTERN ARKANSAS...BUT MOST OF
THAT AREA GETS OVER 10 INCHES AND THE MEMPHIS AREA GETS 18 INCHES.
MARCH 2 1971...GENERAL SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES...BUT BLYHEVILLE GETS
5 INCHES AND LITTLE ROCK GETS 6.7 INCHES.
JANUARY 9 1977...HEAVY SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS WITH 10 TO 13 INCHES
IN MOST AREAS...MIXED PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL SECTIONS RESULTS
IN 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION...SOUTH GETS MOSTLY ICE.
FEBRUARY 6-7 1979...HEAVY SNOW IN MOST OF STATE...LITTLE ROCK GETS 9.1
INCHES AND HOT SPRINGS GETS 11 INCHES.
FEBRUARY 24-25 1979...WET SNOW PRODUCES TWO BANDS OF VERY HEAVY
ACCUMULATION...12 TO 16 INCHES GENERALLY FALLS IN THE OUACHITA
MOUNTAINS BETWEEN HOT SPRINGS AND MENA AND 18 TO 20 INCHES FALLS
IN THE EXTREME NORTHEAST...PRIMARILY IN CLAY...GREENE...LAWRENCE
AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES.
APRIL 13-14 1980...HEAVY WET SNOW DUMPS UP TO 10 INCHES IN THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE OUACHITA MOUNTAINS.
DECEMBER 16 1983...GENERAL 5 TO 9 INCH SNOWFALL ACROSS SOUTHERN
ARKANSAS...HORATIO HAS THE MOST SNOW WITH 9 INCHES.
FEBRUARY 26 1984...WHILE MOST OF THE STATE GETS A STEADY HEAVY RAIN...
THE EXTREME NORTHWEST GETS HEAVY SNOW WITH 12 INCHES AT FAYETTEVILLE.
MARCH 9-10 1984...NARROW BAND OF HEAVY SNOW FALLS MAINLY ACROSS PERRY...
PULASKI...AND LONOKE COUNTIES WITH UP TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW FALLING.
LITTLE PRECIPITATION FALLS ELSEWHERE.
JANUARY 3 1985...HEAVY SNOW IN THE EAST...MONTICELLO GETS THE MOST SNOW
WITH 11 INCHES.
JANUARY 6-7 1988...HEAVY SNOW STATEWIDE. LITTLE ROCK AREA GETS 12 TO 13
INCHES...MUCH OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS GETS 10 TO 15 INCHES...THE
HEBER SPRINGS AREA GETS THE MOST WITH 16 INCHES. THIS ALONG
WITH THE JANUARY 1893 AND JANUARY 1918 SNOWSTORMS ARE LIKELY
THE MOST WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIEST SNOWSTORMS IN RECORDED STATE
HISTORY.
MARCH 17 1988...HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTH WITH 22 INCHES REPORTED NEAR
HARRISON.
FEBRUARY 15 1993...HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTH WITH 12 TO 24 INCHES COMMON
ACROSS THE NORTHERNMOST COUNTIES...MOUNTAIN HOME GETS THE MOST SNOW
WITH 24 INCHES.
MARCH 8 1994...HEAVY SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS...MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL
AND NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS GETS 8 TO 12 INCHES WITH ISOLATED 20 INCH
AMOUNTS.
JANUARY 22 1995...NARROW BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS. WESTERN PARTS OF LITTLE ROCK GOT UP TO 8 INCHES.
JANUARY 1-2 1996...HEAVY SNOW ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS. FAYETTEVILLE, HARRISON AND MANY AREAS GOT ABOUT 12 INCHES
AND A PLACE NEAR EUREKA SPRINGS GOT 20 INCHES. DRIFTS SEVERAL FEET
DEEP WERE REPORTED IN SOME AREAS OF NEWTON AND SEARCY COUNTIES.
JANUARY 27-28 2000...STATEWIDE HEAVY SNOW WITH 4 TO 14 INCHES OF SNOW COMMON
ACROSS THE STATE. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WAS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS WHERE
MOST OF THE 10 INCH PLUS ACCUMULATIONS OCCURRED AND THERE WAS
MUCH DAMAGE TO CHICKEN HOUSES.
$$
29
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