Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998

Name: Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998
Start: 1998-12-22T20:00
End: 1998-12-24T18:00
Location: Arkansas

December 22 to 24, 1998 · NWS LZK · 36 events in 36 counties and zones

A major ice storm affected about the southern three-quarters of Arkansas as Christmas Day approached. and spread north.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 28 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 36

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.

A major ice storm affected about the southern three-quarters of Arkansas as Christmas Day approached. Freezing rain and sleet developed across southern Arkansas during the evening of the 22nd...and spread north. Precipitation finally ended in southeast sections of the state during the early evening hours of the 24th. A tenth of an inch of ice or more was common south of Mena...Conway and Osceola, with up to eight tenths of an inch in parts of southeast Arkansas. Many businesses closed due to the ice, with most federal offices not open on the 23rd or 24th. The state's largest mall shut its doors for the night at 6pm on the 23rd. Driving became hazardous, and traffic slowed significantly. At one time, a drive along Interstate 30 from Malvern to Benton...a distance of only 19 miles...took an estimated 6 to 10 hours. This was mainly due to icing and numerous accidents. In one day, State Police investigated more than 400 accidents. One accident on Highway 38 in Lonoke County claimed the life of a young woman during the afternoon of the 23rd. The ice caused some power outages, with at least 2200 customers without power on the night of the 23rd.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

36 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Arkansas

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Arkansas forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.291, -91.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Bradley

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Bradley forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.466, -92.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Calhoun

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.558, -92.503 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Clark

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.051, -93.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Cleburne

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Cleburne forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.538, -92.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Cleveland

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Cleveland forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.898, -92.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Conway

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Conway forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.262, -92.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Dallas

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dallas forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.970, -92.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Desha

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Desha forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.833, -91.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Drew

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Drew forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.589, -91.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Faulkner

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Faulkner forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.147, -92.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Garland

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Garland forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.577, -93.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Grant

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.290, -92.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hot Spring

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hot Spring forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.318, -92.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Independence

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Independence forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.742, -91.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Jackson

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.599, -91.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Jefferson

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.269, -91.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Johnson

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Lincoln

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.958, -91.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Logan

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Lonoke

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lonoke forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.754, -91.889 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Monroe

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.678, -91.204 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Montgomery

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Ouachita

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Ouachita forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.593, -92.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Perry

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.947, -92.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Pike

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.164, -93.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Polk

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Pope

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Prairie

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Prairie forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.830, -91.553 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Pulaski

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.770, -92.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Saline

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.647, -92.677 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Scott

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Van Buren

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, White

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.256, -91.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Woodruff

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Woodruff forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.186, -91.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Yell

When: December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 24, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Yell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Ice Storm, Lonoke	1998-12-23	24	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, December 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5677851, 5677852, 5677853, 5677854, 5677855, 5677856, 5677857, 5677858, 5677859, 5677860, 5677861, 5677862, 5677863, 5677864, 5677865, 5677866, 5677867, 5677868, 5677869, 5677870, 5677871, 5677872, 5677873, 5677874, 5677875, 5677876, 5677877, 5677878, 5677879, 5677880, 5677881, 5677882, 5677883, 5677884, 5677885, 5677886.