Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena - January 2011
Location Date/Time Deaths & Injuries Property & Crop Dmg Event Type and Details
ARKANSAS, Central and North Central
(AR-Z007) SHARP, (AR-Z016) INDEPENDENCE, (AR-Z024) CLEBURNE, (AR-Z025) JACKSON, (AR-Z031) CONWAY, (AR-Z032) FAULKNER, (AR-Z033) WHITE, (AR-Z034) WOODRUFF, (AR-Z037) SCOTT, (AR-Z038) YELL, (AR-Z039) PERRY, (AR-Z040) POLK, (AR-Z041) MONTGOMERY, (AR-Z042) GARLAND, (AR-Z043) SALINE, (AR-Z044) PULASKI, (AR-Z045) LONOKE, (AR-Z046) PRAIRIE, (AR-Z047) MONROE, (AR-Z052) PIKE, (AR-Z053) CLARK, (AR-Z054) HOT SPRING, (AR-Z055) GRANT, (AR-Z056) JEFFERSON, (AR-Z057) ARKANSAS, (AR-Z062) DALLAS, (AR-Z063) CLEVELAND, (AR-Z064) LINCOLN, (AR-Z065) DESHA, (AR-Z066) OUACHITA, (AR-Z067) CALHOUN, (AR-Z068) BRADLEY, (AR-Z069) DREW 01/01/11 00:00 CST 0 Drought

01/31/11 23:59 CST

Severe drought conditions were alleviated in parts of central and western Arkansas during the first part of January, but then worsened in these same areas later in the month. Elsewhere, severe drought continued over much of eastern and southern Arkansas, with extreme drought over part of south central Arkansas. (AR-Z004) MARION
01/04/11 19:00 CST 01/05/11 10:15 CST
Dry weather continued into early January, creating conditions favorable for wildfires.

Wildfire

(AR-Z003) BOONE, (AR-Z004) MARION, (AR-Z005) BAXTER, (AR-Z006) FULTON, (AR-Z007) SHARP, (AR-Z012) NEWTON, (AR-Z013) SEARCY, (AR-Z014) STONE, (AR-Z015) IZARD, (AR-Z016) INDEPENDENCE, (AR-Z021) JOHNSON, (AR-Z022) POPE, (AR-Z023) VAN BUREN, (AR-Z025) JACKSON, (AR-Z030) LOGAN, (AR-Z037) SCOTT, (AR-Z064) LINCOLN, (AR-Z069) DREW 01/09/11 11:00 CST

Winter Weather

01/10/11 11:00 CST
(AR-Z062) DALLAS, (AR-Z063) CLEVELAND, (AR-Z065) DESHA, (AR-Z066) OUACHITA, (AR-Z067) CALHOUN, (AR-Z068) BRADLEY
01/09/11 11:00 CST 01/10/11 03:30 CST

Winter Storm

(AR-Z024) CLEBURNE, (AR-Z031) CONWAY, (AR-Z032) FAULKNER, (AR-Z033) WHITE, (AR-Z034) WOODRUFF, (AR-Z038) YELL, (AR-Z039) PERRY, (AR-Z040) POLK, (AR-Z041) MONTGOMERY, (AR-Z042) GARLAND, (AR-Z043) SALINE, (AR-Z044) PULASKI, (AR-Z045) LONOKE, (AR-Z046) PRAIRIE, (AR-Z047) MONROE, (AR-Z052) PIKE, (AR-Z053) CLARK, (AR-Z054) HOT SPRING, (AR-Z055) GRANT, (AR-Z056) JEFFERSON, (AR-Z057) ARKANSAS 01/09/11 12:30 CST 0 Heavy Snow

01/10/11 07:00 CST

Low pressure developed near the Gulf Coast, causing moisture to spread northward over the cold air near the surface in Arkansas. During the morning of the 9th, a mixture of sleet, snow, and freezing rain developed across southern Arkansas. Precipitation spread into central Arkansas before the end of the afternoon, but this far north, temperatures were cold enough such that only snow fell. During the evening, snow spread into northern Arkansas, and the south saw a changeover to snow. Snowfall was the most widespread and heaviest during the evening hours of the 9th. Soon after midnight, snow tapered off considerably. By dawn on the 10th, only patchy snow flurries and freezing drizzle lingered. The heaviest snow fell in a swath from near Murfreesboro to near Benton, where some amounts reached or exceeded 8 inches. On either side of the heavy snow band and from Little Rock toward Brinkley, 4 to 6 inch totals were common. Many other areas received 2 to 4 inches of snow, but amounts in northern Arkansas were less, ranging from less than an inch to 2 inches. In most places, driving conditions became hazardous within a couple of hours after precipitation began. Hundreds of accidents occurred on the afternoon and evening of the 9th. On the afternoon of the 9th, a tremendous traffic back-up occurred on Interstate 30 between Benton and Malvern. Multiple accidents caused both sides of the interstate to come to a halt. Motorists were stranded in the traffic jam for as many as 12 to 14 hours. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe activated the Arkansas National Guard to aid the motorists. Guard armories in Benton and Malvern were opened as shelters. While the interstate technically reopened soon after 7:00 AM CST on the 10th, traffic was still only at a crawl well into the afternoon of the 10th, and traffic was still jammed on the morning of the 11th. Due to the poor driving conditions on the 10th, virtually every school in the Little Rock County Warning Area was closed, as were state and federal offices in Little Rock. Power outages during the winter storm were relatively small. The largest, affecting about 3000 customers, began during the afternoon of the 9th when a substation in southwest Little Rock suffered a failure. Power was restored during the late night hours of the 9th. Twenty-five flights were cancelled at Little Rock's Adams Field. Four traffic fatalities occurred due to icy or snowy roads. On the 9th, three single fatality accidents occurred. A 24 year-old woman was killed on Arkansas Highway 24 near Chidester in Ouachita County, a 42 year-old woman lost her life on U.S. Highway 167 north of Hampton in Calhoun County, and a 31 year-old man was killed on U.S. Highway 70 east of Hot Springs in Garland County. On the 10th, another single fatality accident occurred, killing a 50 year-old man on Arkansas Highway 86 north of Brown Grove in Prairie County.

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03/24/2011

Snow fell across much of central and southern Arkansas on January 9th, with the heaviest snow falling across southwest sections of the state. Graphic by John Lewis, Senior Forecaster, WFO Little Rock.

(AR-Z003) BOONE

01/10/11 18:00 CST 01/10/11 22:00 CST
A low pressure system, passing by to the north of Arkansas, brought light snow to parts of northern Arkansas on the evening of the 10th. Snow flurries were seen as far south as central Arkansas. (AR-Z007) SHARP
01/17/11 05:00 CST 01/17/11 10:00 CST
Dense, freezing fog occurred in parts of north central Arkansas on the morning of the 17th.

Freezing Fog

(AR-Z014) STONE, (AR-Z015) IZARD, (AR-Z022) POPE, (AR-Z023) VAN BUREN

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01/18/11 06:00 CST 01/31/11 23:59 CST

Drought

Severe drought conditions developed over parts of northern Arkansas soon after the middle of January.
(AR-Z003) BOONE, (AR-Z007) SHARP, (AR-Z014) STONE, (AR-Z015) IZARD, (AR-Z016) INDEPENDENCE, (AR-Z021) JOHNSON, (AR-Z022) POPE, (AR-Z023) VAN BUREN, (AR-Z024) CLEBURNE, (AR-Z025) JACKSON, (AR-Z030) LOGAN, (AR-Z031) CONWAY, (AR-Z032) FAULKNER, (AR-Z033) WHITE, (AR-Z034) WOODRUFF, (AR-Z037) SCOTT, (AR-Z038) YELL, (AR-Z039) PERRY, (AR-Z040) POLK, (AR-Z041) MONTGOMERY, (AR-Z042) GARLAND, (AR-Z043) SALINE, (AR-Z044) PULASKI, (AR-Z045) LONOKE, (AR-Z046) PRAIRIE, (AR-Z047) MONROE 01/20/11 03:00 CST 0 Winter Weather

01/20/11 18:00 CST

(AR-Z004) MARION, (AR-Z005) BAXTER, (AR-Z006) FULTON, (AR-Z012) NEWTON, (AR-Z013) SEARCY
01/20/11 04:00 CST 01/20/11 15:00 CST
A low pressure center tracking near the Gulf Coast caused snow to fall across the northern half of Arkansas on the 20th. The greatest accumulations were in the north central part of the state. In many areas, rain, freezing rain, or sleet fell for awhile before precipitation changed to snow; however, ice and sleet accumulations were negligible.

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Snow fell across much of northern Arkansas on January 20th. Graphic by John Lewis, Senior Forecaster, WFO Little Rock.
(AR-Z040) POLK, (AR-Z053) CLARK
01/29/11 12:00 CST 01/30/11 11:40 CST
Unseasonably warm weather, coupled with low humidities and continuing dry conditions led to the spread of many wildfires over the weekend of the 29th and 30th. The Arkansas Forestry Commission aided in the suppression of 87 wildfires which burned a total of 1730 acres. No homes were lost to the fires, but 34 were threatened. SALINE COUNTY --- 3.1 S SLOCOMB [34.48, -92.72] 01/30/11 18:30 CST

Hail (0.75 in) Source: Public

01/30/11 18:50 CST

Thunderstorms developed from southwest Arkansas into the central part of the state on the evening of the 30th. A few of the storms became strong.

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Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena - December 2010
Location Date/Time Deaths & Injuries Property & Crop Dmg Event Type and Details
ARKANSAS, Central and North Central
(AR-Z025) JACKSON, (AR-Z033) WHITE, (AR-Z034) WOODRUFF, (AR-Z042) GARLAND, (AR-Z043) SALINE, (AR-Z044) PULASKI, (AR-Z045) LONOKE, (AR-Z046) PRAIRIE, (AR-Z047) MONROE, (AR-Z052) PIKE, (AR-Z053) CLARK, (AR-Z054) HOT SPRING, (AR-Z055) GRANT, (AR-Z056) JEFFERSON, (AR-Z057) ARKANSAS, (AR-Z062) DALLAS, (AR-Z063) CLEVELAND, (AR-Z065) DESHA, (AR-Z066) OUACHITA, (AR-Z067) CALHOUN, (AR-Z068) BRADLEY, (AR-Z069) DREW
12/01/10 00:00 CST 12/31/10 23:59 CST

Drought

Severe drought encompassed the southeastern half of Arkansas throughout the month of December. Extreme drought developed over part of southern Arkansas during the last week of the month. WOODRUFF COUNTY --- 0.5 WNW PATTERSON [35.25, -91.24], 0.1 NNW CAVELL [35.25, -91.25], 0.8 SW RIVERSIDE [35.27, -91.24], 0.6 SSW RIVERSIDE [35.27, -91.24]
12/05/10 01:00 CST 12/09/10 01:00 CST
Flood (due to Heavy Rain) Source: River/Stream Gage
The White River at Patterson rose above flood stage during the early morning hours on the 5th, then dropped below flood stage during the early morning hours of the 9th. (AR-Z039) PERRY, (AR-Z041) MONTGOMERY
12/07/10 06:00 CST 12/31/10 23:59 CST
Severe drought spread to Perry and Montgomery counties early in December.
(AR-Z003) BOONE, (AR-Z004) MARION, (AR-Z005) BAXTER, (AR-Z006) FULTON, (AR-Z007) SHARP, (AR-Z012) NEWTON, (AR-Z013) SEARCY, (AR-Z014) STONE, (AR-Z015) IZARD, (AR-Z016) INDEPENDENCE, (AR-Z021) JOHNSON, (AR-Z022) POPE, (AR-Z023) VAN BUREN, (AR-Z024) CLEBURNE, (AR-Z025) JACKSON, (AR-Z030) LOGAN, (AR-Z031) CONWAY, (AR-Z032) FAULKNER, (AR-Z033) WHITE, (AR-Z034) WOODRUFF, (AR-Z037) SCOTT, (AR-Z038) YELL, (AR-Z039) PERRY, (AR-Z040) POLK, (AR-Z041) MONTGOMERY, (AR-Z042) GARLAND, (AR-Z043) SALINE, (AR-Z044) PULASKI, (AR-Z045) LONOKE, (AR-Z046) PRAIRIE, (AR-Z047) MONROE, (AR-Z052) PIKE, (AR-Z053) CLARK, (AR-Z054) HOT SPRING, (AR-Z055) GRANT, (AR-Z056) JEFFERSON, (AR-Z057) ARKANSAS, (AR-Z062) DALLAS, (AR-Z063) CLEVELAND, (AR-Z064) LINCOLN, (AR-Z065) DESHA, (AR-Z066) OUACHITA, (AR-Z067) CALHOUN, (AR-Z068) BRADLEY, (AR-Z069) DREW 12/11/10 10:30 CST

1.45M 0

Strong Wind (MAX 44 kt)

12/12/10 20:30 CST

A strong cold front moved across Arkansas on the 11th. Strong winds followed the front, bringing down some power lines and blowing over Christmas yard decorations. The winds ushered much colder air into Arkansas. (AR-Z015) IZARD, (AR-Z053) CLARK
12/13/10 12:00 CST 12/15/10 16:15 CST

Wildfire

A lack of rainfall, combined with periodic low humidities and breezy conditions, created conditions favorable for wildfires in the middle of December. (AR-Z031) CONWAY, (AR-Z037) SCOTT, (AR-Z038) YELL, (AR-Z040) POLK
12/21/10 06:00 CST 12/31/10 23:59 CST
Severe drought spread to Conway, Yell, Scott, and Polk counties during the latter half of December.
(AR-Z007) SHARP, (AR-Z016) INDEPENDENCE, (AR-Z024) CLEBURNE, (AR-Z032) FAULKNER
12/28/10 06:00 CST 12/31/10 23:59 CST
Severe drought spread to Sharp, Independence, Cleburne, and Faulkner counties the last week in December.

JOHNSON COUNTY --- 1.0 N OARK [35.69, -93.58]

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02/21/2011

12/31/10 09:08 CST 12/31/10 09:08 CST
BOONE COUNTY --- 1.4 S LOWRY [36.45, -93.05]
Hail (1.00 in) Source: Public
12/31/10 09:37 CST 12/31/10 09:37 CST Several power lines were blown down.
NEWTON COUNTY --- LURTON [35.77, -93.08]
Thunderstorm Wind (EG 50 kt) Source: Law Enforcement
12/31/10 09:53 CST 12/31/10 09:53 CST
SEARCY COUNTY --- 0.6 N MARSHALL [35.91, -92.63] 12/31/10 10:32 CST
Hail (1.25 in) Source: Law Enforcement
Thunderstorm Wind (EG 50 kt) Source: Public
12/31/10 10:32 CST Several trees were blown down in the city of Marshall.
BAXTER COUNTY --- 3.0 NNE MOUNTAIN HOME [36.37, -92.36] 12/31/10 10:48 CST
Thunderstorm Wind (MG 53 kt) Source: Trained Spotter

12/31/10 10:48 CST

IZARD COUNTY --- 0.7 N CALICO ROCK [36.13, -92.13] 12/31/10 11:14 CST
Hail (0.75 in) Source: Law Enforcement

12/31/10 11:14 CST

IZARD COUNTY --- WISEMAN [36.23, -91.82]
12/31/10 11:27 CST 12/31/10 11:27 CST
Several windows were blown out in Wiseman. A tractor was blown over and moved, and part of a roof was torn off.
FULTON COUNTY --- 3.1 WSW MAMMOTH SPG [36.46, -91.53] 12/31/10 12:00 CST
Thunderstorm Wind (EG 50 kt) Source: Emergency Manager

12/31/10 12:00 CST

Damage occurred in the vicinity of the Jim Hinkle Fish Hatchery on the Spring River. A roof was blown off a storage building, there was roof damage to a house, an 80-foot section of a fence was damaged, a feed bin was overturned, and some trees were blown down.
FULTON COUNTY --- 1.5 NNE KITTLE [36.29, -91.62] 12/31/10 12:05 CST
12/31/10 12:05 CST Several trees were blown down between Kittle and Lake Omaha.
MONROE COUNTY --- 1.5 NNW CLARENDON [34.70, -91.31] 12/31/10 16:55 CST
Hail (1.00 in) Source: COOP Observer

12/31/10 16:55 CST

LINCOLN COUNTY --- GRADY [34.08, -91.70]
12/31/10 17:19 CST 12/31/10 17:19 CST
Hail (1.75 in) Source: Public
Unseasonably warm, moist air spread up into Arkansas at the end of December. A cold front plowed into the unstable air, setting off thunderstorms on the 31st. A few of the storms produced large hail and damaging winds.

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