Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 25 to 27, 2000

After a major Winter Storm on the 12th and 13th, a long term Ice Storm developed during the morning of December 25, 2000 and continued through the early morning hours of December 27, 2000. The setup was similar to the previous storm, with warm and moist air from the southwest overrunning shallow below freezing air in Arkansas provided by Arctic high pressure. Mostly freezing rain and sleet were noted, with one and a half to 3 inches of ice in western sections of the state and one half to 2 inches of ice elsewhere. The icing was devastating, with about 300,000 customers losing power. Many people were without power for several days. In parts of western Arkansas, there was no water due to power failures and/or generators failing. Hot Springs was the largest city to lose water service. The Governor's Mansion lost electricity and phone service, with the Governor forced to contact some counties with HAM Radio. Roads became nearly impassible due to the ice and trees that had fallen due to the weight of the ice. The National Guard was contacted to help stranded motorists and to deliver emergency generators. Soldiers driving Humvees had to assist the Little Rock ambulance service...which could not reach patients who lived on steep hills in the western part of the city. FEMA officials, which were due into Arkansas to assess damage from the December 12-13, 2000 Winter Storm could not reach the state. Little Rock National Airport was closed from the evening of the 25th until midday on the 27th due to ice on the runways. This was the first time since 1975 that the airport had been closed for more than 24 hours. Ice Storm Warnings were posted well in advance, with one power company already having 3,000 people on standby in other states before the event began. This event combined with the event on the 12th and 13th was believed to be the worst natural disaster in Arkansas history.