Winter Storm in Arkansas, February 4 to 5, 2004

Name: Winter Storm in Arkansas, February 4 to 5, 2004
Start: 2004-02-04T21:00
End: 2004-02-05T01:00
Location: Arkansas

February 4 to 5, 2004 · NWS LZK · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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 winter storm produced a variety of winter weather across parts of western and northern Arkansas starting late in the afternoon of the 4th and continued into the early morning hours of the 5th. Snowfall totals across north Arkansas generally ranged from 4 to 6 inches. Numerous roads were snow covered and hazardous. Meanwhile, a combination of sleet and freezing rain affected parts of western Arkansas. Ice accumulations of 1 to 2 inches were reported over Polk County, with trees and power lines downed by the weight of the ice.

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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 8:28 PM CST, 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 8:28 PM CST, 32 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
830 PM CST WED FEB  4 2004

.DISCUSSION...
HEAVY SNOW SET IN ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN ARKANSAS WITH ONE TO TWO
INCHES REPROTED ACROSS FROM BOONE TO BAXTER COUNTIES. ALSO...POLK
COUNTY REPORTED SIGNIFICANT ICE IN MENA. CHECK WITH SCOTT AND LOGAN
COUNTIES REVEALED RAIN BUT THERE WAS ICE ON 2800 FT MOUNT MAGAZINE.
BASED ON THIS...ADDED A FEW COUNTIES IN THE NORTH TO THE WINTER
STORM WARNING AND FORECAST UP TO 4 INCH SNOW ACCUMULATION ALONG
WITH SIGNIFICANT ICE. STILL THINK PRECIP WILL GO TO MOSTLY FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET AFTER WARM ADVECTION ESTABLISHES ITSELF AND THE
EVAPORATIVE COOLING ENDS. ALSO PUT POLK COUNTY IN THE WINTER STORM
WARNING DUE TO THE ICE AT MENA. THINK THIS WILL BE MAINLY FOR
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. INCREASED ADVISORY TO ADD SOME ARKANSAS RIVER
VALLEY COUNTIES AS WELL AS INDEPENDENCE AND CLEBURNE. LOOKS LIKE
ICING PROBLEMS WILL BE MOSTLY HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THOSE AREAS WITH
VALLEY AREAS STAYING JUST ABOVE FREEZING. ALSO CONCERNED THAT KBVX
MAY COOL TO FREEZING BASED ON EVENING TEMP/DEW POINT. OTHER AREAS LOOK
LIKE EVAPORATIVE COOLING WILL TAKE TO 34 TO 36 THEN TEMPS SHOULD LEVEL
OFF AND MAY RISE A LITTLE LATER AS WARM ADVECTION MOVES IN. SOME
CONCERN ABOUT AREA OF HEAVY PRECIP APPROACHING NORTHERN AREAS THAT ARE
BELOW FREEZING. ALSO MONITORING SOUTH CENTRAL ZONES FOR HEAVY RAINS
AND POSSIBLE FALSH FLOOD WATCH. INDICATIONS ARE THAT RAINFALL WILL
NOT REACH FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES BUT WILL HAVE TO MONITOR
TRAINING OF COLD TOPS AS THE NIGHT GOES ON.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
COMPLICATED WEATHER SCENRIO FOR THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY. EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON...UPGRADED THE WINTER STORM WATCH
FOR PARTS OF EXTREME NORTHERN ARKANSAS FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
MORNING TO A WINTER STORM WARNING. LOOKING FOR MAINLY AN ICING EVENT
IN THAT AREA...BUT ALSO MENTIONED SOME ACCUMULATION OF SNOW. IN THE
ADJACENT COUNTIES SOUTH OF THE WARNING...ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. MAINLY TRAVEL PROBLEMS
EXPECTED IN THOSE AREAS. TO THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS... A
HEAVY RAIN POSSIBILITY FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. WILL NOT ISSUE A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME...BUT WILL ADVISE LATER SHIFTS TO
MONITOR. MOST OF THE HEAVIER PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE OUT OF THE WAY
BY MID AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY.

UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE OVER THE STATE THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING...SO CONTINUED THE SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE POPS. HAVE TRENDED A
RAIN SNOW MIX TO OUR SOUTHERN BORDER...BUT ANY PRECIP WILL REMAIN
LIGHT. AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES NORTHEAST...PRECIPITATION WILL END
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN FOR THE
WEEKEND...BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO ARKANSAS MONDAY. NEW MODEL RUNS HAVE
TWO SYSTEMS TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH OF ARKANSAS...WITH THE NATURAL
STATE IN BETWEEN WITH RELATIVELY DRY WEATHER. DUE TO TIMING AND
PLACEMENT UNCERTAINTIES...HAVE CONTINUED LOW CHANCE POPS WITH SNOW
IN THE NORTH...AND A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW CENTRAL...WITH RAIN
SOUTH. GFS SHOWS SOME MOISTURE OVER THE MID SOUTH THROUGH THE MIDDLE
OF NEXT WEEK...BUT AM NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE
PRECIPITATION AT THIS TIME.

&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST THURSDAY FOR ZONES
ARZ003>007...ARZ012>013...ARZ015...ARZ040.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST THURSDAY FOR ZONES ARZ014...
ARZ016...ARZ021>024...ARZ030...ARZ037.
&&

29/22/58

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 4, 1:25 PM CST, 7 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
125 PM CST WED FEB 4 2004

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-051100-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-
LONOKE-MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-
POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN
BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL-
125 PM CST WED FEB 4 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST INTO ARKANSAS LATE
THIS AFTERNOON. GULF MOISTURE WILL MOVE INTO THE STATE AHEAD OF THE
SYSTEM. WITH DRY AIR ALOFT...PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE A HARD TIME
REACHING THE GROUND AT FIRST. DUE TO THIS...COOLING OF THE AIR ABOVE
THE SURFACE WILL TAKE PLACE...LEADING TO THE FORMATION OF SLEET IN
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON.

AS THE AREA OF PRECIPITATION MOVES EAST...IT WILL ENCOUNTER COLDER
AIR AT THE SURFACE. DUE TO THE TEMPERATURES NEAR FREEZING...THERE
WILL BE A MIXTURE OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW ACROSS NORTHWEST
AND NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS TONIGHT.

DUE TO THE MOISTURE ENCOUNTERING COLD AIR...A WINTRY MIX OF
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. AS SUCH...A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS
BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHERN ARKANSAS...MAINLY NORTH A LINE FROM
JASPER...TO MARSHALL...TO SALEM. SIGNIFICANT ICING WILL BE
POSSIBLE...WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 1/4 INCH...AND THIS MAY
CAUSE TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE. A WINTER STORM ADVISORY HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE WARNING AREA...AND NORTH OF A LINE
FROM CLARKSVILLE...TO RUSSELLVILLE...TO CLINTON...TO CAVE CITY. IN
JOHNSON AND POPE COUNTIES...THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ICING WILL OCCUR
NORTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY.

FARTHER SOUTH...A RAIN EVENT IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS. RAIN MAY BE MIXED WITH SLEET INITIALLY AS MOISTURE
ENCOUNTERS THE DRY AIR ALOFT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

ON THURSDAY...A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE IN THE
EXTREME NORTH...WHILE RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
IN THE SOUTH. HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE DURING THE DAY.
THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...COLDER AIR WILL SPILL BACK INTO THE
REGION AND THERE WILL BE A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER THE AREA.
HOWEVER...BY THEN...MOISTURE WILL BE SPARSE SO ANY PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS WILL BE SMALL.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND DECREASE CLOUD
COVER. THIS HIGH WILL ALSO KEEP DRY WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE
WEEKEND. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL ENTER THE STATE MONDAY AFTERNOON...
BRINGING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW TO THE NORTH...AND A CHANCE OF
RAIN IN THE SOUTH. TUESDAY WILL BE DRY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

58

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Polk

When: February 4, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Boone

When: February 4, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 4, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.268, -92.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Newton

When: February 4, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Newton forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Searcy

When: February 4, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Searcy forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Baxter

When: February 4, 11:00 PM CST to February 5, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Baxter forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.287, -92.337 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stone

When: February 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Stone forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.860, -92.157 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Izard

When: February 4, 11:00 PM CST to February 5, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Izard forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.095, -91.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fulton

When: February 5, 12:00 AM CST to 1:00 AM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.382, -91.818 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sharp

When: February 5, 12:00 AM CST to 1:00 AM CST
Where: Sharp forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.161, -91.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, February 2004

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: 5388204, 5388195, 5388196, 5388198, 5388199, 5388197, 5388200, 5388201, 5388202, 5388203.