Monthly Storm Reports and Storm Data
Storm Reports
Are you interested in what happened during a recent event? Check out the report below.
 
Winter Storm on February 20-21, 2013 (Pg1)
 
An ice storm unfolded across the northern half of Arkansas on 02/21/2013.

Following severe weather on February 18th, winter made an appearance in Arkansas by the 20th.
In the picture: An ice storm unfolded across the northern half of Arkansas on 02/21/2013. Interestingly, freezing rain was accompanied by thunder. Farther north, heavy snow fell in a wide swath from Nebraska and Kansas into Iowa and Missouri.

 

A massive winter storm was set to spread across the Plains, and it was cold enough for snow in western sections of the state.

 The event initially featured snow in western Arkansas on 02/20/2013.
In the picture: The event initially featured snow in western Arkansas on 02/20/2013.

 

Up to 4 inches of snow piled up at Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and near Alma (Crawford County). Two to three inch amounts were common around Clarksville (Johnson County) and Paris (Logan County).

Farther south/east, it was a little too warm aloft for snow, but temperatures near the ground were below freezing. This resulted in some light freezing rain at Russellville (Pope County), where a school bus slid off the road and three children were injured. Near Hot Springs (Garland County), three more people were injured after a car flipped over. There was some light icing on exposed objects farther east toward the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area, but roads were mostly wet.

 

Temperatures were below freezing at 850 mb (5000 feet) in portions of northern and western Arkansas at 600 pm CST on 02/20/2013.
In the picture: Temperatures were below freezing at 850 mb (5000 feet) in portions of northern and western Arkansas at 600 pm CST on 02/20/2013. This helped support snow.
By 600 am CST on 02/21/2013, it was too warm for snow, with any flakes melting aloft before reaching the ground (where temperatures were subfreezing in northern Arkansas).
In the picture: By 600 am CST on 02/21/2013, it was too warm for snow, with any flakes melting aloft before reaching the ground (where temperatures were subfreezing in northern Arkansas).
 

On the 21st, warming continued aloft, and snow was out of the picture. But low level temperatures were still subfreezing across the northern half of Arkansas. It was a perfect setup for significant icing given enough moisture, and there was plenty of liquid yet to come.

 

Ice buildup was impressive at Batesville (Independence County) on 02/21/2013.

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms popped up in the southwest early in the day, and raced to the northeast.
In the picture: Satellite showed enhanced clouds and scattered thunderstorms moving into Arkansas from the southwest at 800 am CST on 02/21/2013. The storms eventually spread across the northern counties where temperatures (dashed white lines) were subfreezing. Meanwhile, heavy snow was falling from eastern Kansas into western Missouri. Precipitation was ahead of the main driver of this event, or a big storm system aloft ("L") in southwest Kansas.

 

While an Ice Storm Warning was posted in northern Arkansas at 803 am CST on 02/21/2013, isolated severe thunderstorms popped up across the southern counties.
In the picture: While an Ice Storm Warning was posted in northern Arkansas at 803 am CST on 02/21/2013, isolated severe thunderstorms popped up across the southern counties.
 

A few of the storms produced hail. Quarter to half dollar size hail was reported in East Camden (Ouachita County), near Pinebergen (Jefferson County) and in southwest Little Rock (Pulaski County).

 

Once the moisture spread into areas north of Little Rock (Pulaski County), ice collected on trees and power lines. Quarter to half inch accruals were common in the northern two to three rows of counties.

 The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed rain and scattered thunderstorms becoming widespread from 700 am to 1000 am CST on 02/21/2013.
In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed rain and scattered thunderstorms becoming widespread from 700 am to 1000 am CST on 02/21/2013. Temperatures (dashed white lines) remained below freezing as precipitation made it into the northern counties.

 

More Information
 
There is more concerning the winter storm on February 20th/21st. To check out the rest of the story, click here.
USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.