Arkansas, 2013

Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 6, 2013

December 6, 2013 · NWS SHV · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Another cold shallow arctic airmass moved southeast out of the Southern Plains and into the Lower Mississippi Valley the first week of December. The shallow subfreezing airmass was overridden with a very warm and moist airmass such that freezing rain and sleet fell across the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
7

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 SHV wrote it up.

Another cold shallow arctic airmass moved southeast out of the Southern Plains and into the Lower Mississippi Valley the first week of December. The shallow subfreezing airmass was overridden with a very warm and moist airmass such that freezing rain and sleet fell across the region. Ice accumulation was mainly less than one quarter of an inch but resulted in accumulation on bridges and overpasses, trees and powerlines. Some traffic accidents were noted across Southwest Arkansas during the height of the winter weather along with a few power outages.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 5, 10:26 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 5, 10:26 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 5, 1:11 PM CST, 10 hours 49 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
111 PM CST THU DEC 5 2013

ARZ050-051-059>061-070-071-OKZ077-TXZ096-097-108>112-124-125-136-
061915-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
MCCURTAIN-RED RIVER-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-
UPSHUR-SMITH-
111 PM CST THU DEC 5 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
ARKANSAS...FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND MUCH OF NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

RAIN ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WILL PICK UP IN COVERAGE AND
TO SOME EXTENT INTENSITY THIS EVENING...OVERNIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY
WITH OVERNIGHT SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN ICE
ACCUMULATION. MOST OF THE ICE ACCUMULATION WILL LIKELY BE ON
ELEVATED OBJECTS SUCH AS BRIDGES...OVERPASSES...TREES AND
ELECTRICAL LINES. POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE AND MAY LAST FOR MORE
THAN A DAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

LIGHT RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND ALONG WITH SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES
COULD LEAD TO ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS
WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.

ARZ072-073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-TXZ126-137-138-149>153-
165>167-061915-
COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-
UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA-
NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MARION-GREGG-HARRISON-
CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-SAN AUGUSTINE-
SABINE TX-
111 PM CST THU DEC 5 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA...DEEP EAST TEXAS AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

AN ARCTIC FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH THE AREA WITH SOME SHOWERS FROM
DEEP EAST TEXAS...INTO NORTHEAST LOUISIANA. OVERNIGHT ADDITIONAL
RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE WITH TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING.
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

RAINFALL ENDS LATE ON FRIDAY...BUT WILL RESUME OVER THE WEEKEND ALONG
WITH SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES COULD LEAD TO ICE ACCUMULATIONS FOR
PORTIONS OF THE AREA NORTH AND WEST OF A MONROE LOUISIANA TO
HEMPHILL TEXAS LINE. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

24

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 5, 8:03 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 5, 8:26 PM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Hempstead

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hempstead forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.735, -93.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Howard

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
34.089, -93.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Lafayette

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.241, -93.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Little River

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Little River forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.701, -94.234 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Miller

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Miller forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.312, -93.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Sevier

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Sevier forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.997, -94.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Nevada

When
December 6, 12:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Nevada forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
33.664, -93.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, December 2013

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 479869, 479870, 479871, 479872, 479873, 479874, 479875.