Heavy Snow, Benton
- When
- February 5, 2:00 PM CST to February 6, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.339, -94.256 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Arkansas, February 5 to 6, 2002
Snow fell across much of northwest Arkansas on February 5th and 6th. With air temperatures at of slightly above freezing and warm ground temperatures, the snow struggled to accumulate.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 TSA wrote it up.
Cold air settled into northwest Arkansas with an upper level system approaching from the southwest.Snow fell across much of northwest Arkansas on February 5th and 6th. With air temperatures at of slightly above freezing and warm ground temperatures, the snow struggled to accumulate. Where the snow was the heaviest and the temperatures most favorable significant snow accumulations occurred.5 inches was reported at Berryville in Carroll county and also at Huntsville in Madison county. 4 inches of snow fell at Bentonville in Benton county. Other accumulations from western Arkansas included 2 inches at Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Ozark.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 5, 10:15 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 10:15 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1015 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2002 SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT SETTING UP FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS. LIGHT SNOW CURRENTLY SPREADING EASTWARD INTO SE OK. AREAS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT OVER SE OK /WEST-CENTRAL ARK IN REGION OF MODERATE WAA/ISENTROPIC LIFT. GREATEST SNOWFALL EXPECTED SOUTH OF A MLC/FSM LINE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH 5-7 INCHES POSSIBLE. WILL ADD FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA COUNTIES TO ADVISORY AT UPDATE AND INCREASE SNOW TOTALS TO 2 TO 3 INCH ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA. LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPING OVER OSAGE...PAWNEE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES WILL LIKELY TRANSLATE EASTWARD THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS ADVISORY AREA. CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING CONFIGURATION LOOKS GOOD...BUT WILL ADD 5 TO 7 INCH TOTALS TO LE FLORE AND SEBASTIAN COUNTIES...AS SNOW BAND IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THIS AREA OVERNIGHT. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ANTICIPATED. UPDATE OUT AROUND 1030 AM... FOLLOWED BY UPDATED OKCWSWTUL. FCSTID = 12 .TSA... AR...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR ZONES ARZ019>020...ARZ029. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR ZONES ARZ001>002...ARZ010>011. OK...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR ZONES OKZ049...OKZ053...OKZ065...OKZ071>076. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR ZONES OKZ054>064...OKZ066>070.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 5, 11:40 AM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-061200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1140 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2002 ...HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM OVER COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA TONIGHT AND INTO SOUTHERN ARKANSAS ON WEDNESDAY. AREAS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON...SPREADING INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY LATE IN THE DAY. A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...INCLUDING THE MCALESTER AND FORT SMITH AREAS. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 7 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA THROUGH TONIGHT WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OCCURRING SOUTH OF A WILBURTON...FORT SMITH LINE. IN AREAS FURTHER NORTH...INCLUDING THE TULSA AND FAYETTEVILLE AREAS...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE FORECAST THROUGH TONIGHT. THE WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /OKCWSWTUL/ ISSUED AT 1130 AM GIVES ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE WINTER WEATHER. THE HEAVIER SNOW WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES EAST.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Carroll
- When
- February 5, 2:00 PM CST to February 6, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.341, -93.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Madison
- When
- February 5, 2:00 PM CST to February 6, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Madison forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.011, -93.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in California, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Cold in District of Columbia, February 5, 2002
- Winter Storm in Arkansas, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Winter Storm in Texas, February 5, 2002
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Winter Storm in Texas, February 5, 2002
- Winter Storm in Arkansas, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Winter Storm in Mississippi, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Texas, February 5, 2002
- Winter Storm in Kansas, February 5 to 6, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, February 5 to 6, 2002
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 2002
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: 5282979, 5282980, 5282981.