Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 25 to 27, 2000

A slow moving winter storm moved across the Southern Plains on Christmas day bringing freezing rain and dangerous ice accumulations to all of Northwest Arkansas. The freezing precipitation slowed or prevented most traffic, stranding many motorists and leaving numerous communities without power. The precipitation lasted until mid-day on the 27th of December. Ice accumulations of 1 to 2 inches were common with locally higher amounts in some areas. In Fort Smith, the 117-year old Newspaper was shut down on the 26th of December for the first time ever. Over 10,000 customers in Northwest Arkansas were without electricity after utility lines were snapped due to falling tree branches. Numerous accidents and dozens of stranded motorists were reported in much of Northwest Arkansas. While damages from this storm are expected to be large, estimates were not available at the time of this publication.