Periodic rain in February shaved away part of the severe drought in western Arkansas.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
Periodic rain in February shaved away part of the severe drought in western Arkansas.
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 Jan 31, 11:49 PM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1149 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 .AVIATION... A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH ARKANSAS AND GUSTY NORTHWEST AND NORTH WINDS ARE BEHIND THE FRONT. HIGH CLOUDS ARE ENTERING SOUTH ARKANSAS FROM TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE STATE OVERNIGHT AND FRIDAY. CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH SECTIONS FRIDAY...WITH SCATTERED MID CLOUDS IN THE NORTH. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 553 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013/ AVIATION... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ARKANSAS THIS EVENING. GUSTY NORTHWEST AND NORTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT AS WELL AS AN AREA OF CLOUDS. LIGHT SNOW WILL MOVE INTO HRO AND BPK SOON WITH IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. THE SNOW WILL BE CONFINED TO THE NORTH AND WILL ONLY LAST A FEW HOURS. MAINLY MID CLOUDS WILL REACH INTO SOUTH ARKANSAS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE STATE LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH SECTIONS FRIDAY...WITH SCATTERED CUMULUS EXPECTED IN THE NORTH. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 248 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013/ DISCUSSION... MAIN CONCERNS THIS FORECAST CYCLE ARE PRECIP CHANCES IN THE FIRST PERIOD WITH THE COLD FRONT. THEN NEXT CHANCE OF ANY PRECIP SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH THE AREA. THEN OVERALL DRY WITH A WARMING TREND. CURRENTLY THE COLD FRONT WAS DRIFTING INTO NW AR WITH A QUICK COOL DOWN AND SOME LIGHT SNOW BEING REPORTED...AND A STRATUS DECK OF CLOUDS BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. WILL NEED SOME SLIGHT TO CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN MIXING WITH LIGHT SNOW THEN BECOMING LIGHT SNOW INTO THE EVENING HOURS OVER PARTS OF NORTHERN AR. THE SURFACE HIGH HAS MOVED SOUTH OF AR AND A S TO SW FLOW HAS RETURNED TO SOUTHERN AR...WHILE A W TO NW FLOW TO NORTHERN AR. WIND SPEEDS HAVE COME UP TO 10 TO 20 MPH AND GUSTY AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT HAD REBOUNDED INTO THE 50S OVER MOST OF AR THIS AFTERNOON. THE UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES TO PUSH EAST...WITH A STRONG NW UPPER FLOW INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT WILL HAVE SOME CLOUDS AND SLIGHT TO A LOW CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER PARTS OF NORTHERN AR...AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA AND DEVELOPS SOME OVERALL LIGHT PRECIP. RAIN WILL START...BUT QUICKLY MIX WITH OR BECOME SNOW WITH THE STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION. AT THIS TIME LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. A DUSTING MAY BE SEEN IN SOME SPOTS. THE ISENTROPIC LIFT AND LIMITED AVAILABLE MOISTURE WILL QUICKLY MOVE EAST AND WILL END OVER NORTHERN AREAS IN THE LATE EVENING OVER THE NE. THEN A COLD NIGHT WITH PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLEARING SKIES WITH LOWS IN THE 20S. COOLER FRIDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN OVER AR WITH HIGHS FROM THE 30S NE...TO THE 40S SW. ON SATURDAY ANOTHER QUICK MOVING FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS AR WITH SOME CLOUDS AND LOW CHANCES OF PRECIP. AT THIS TIME TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE WARM ENOUGH FOR ALL LIQUID...BUT NORTHERN AR WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED FOR A POSSIBLE MIX OR SHORT PERIOD OF WINTER WEATHER IN THE MORNING THEN LATE EVENING WHEN TEMPS MAY BE AROUND FREEZING. NO SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ON SUNDAY THE SURFACE HIGH AGAIN SETTLES SOUTH OF AR AND A MODERATING SURFACE FLOW BRINGS HIGHS BACK TO THE 50S TO SOME 60S WITH DRY WEATHER. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GUIDANCE KEEPS TRENDING NORTH WITH MOISTURE RETURN ON MONDAY...SO ADDED SMALL RAIN CHANCES TO THE FORECAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL QUICKLY FOLLOW FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...BEFORE ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPS AND AFFECTS THE AREA THURSDAY. AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES GO...TEMPERATURES FOR THE MOST PART WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL...WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO THE LOWER 60S. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 17 38 30 53 / 20 0 10 20 CAMDEN AR 27 50 34 62 / 10 0 10 20 HARRISON AR 13 39 31 50 / 20 0 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 25 46 34 58 / 10 0 10 20 LITTLE ROCK AR 23 42 31 55 / 10 0 10 20 MONTICELLO AR 26 49 34 61 / 10 0 10 20 MOUNT IDA AR 21 46 35 58 / 10 0 10 20 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 14 37 30 53 / 20 0 10 10 NEWPORT AR 18 37 32 51 / 20 0 10 20 PINE BLUFF AR 26 44 33 57 / 10 0 10 20 RUSSELLVILLE AR 19 46 30 53 / 10 0 10 20 SEARCY AR 20 39 27 53 / 10 0 10 20 STUTTGART AR 24 40 31 52 / 10 0 10 20 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM CST FRIDAY FOR BAXTER-BOONE- FULTON-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-MARION-NEWTON-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE. && AVIATION...51
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1145 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-011100- 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- 1145 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE FRONT WILL PRODUCE A FLURRY OR TWO AS IT MOVES THROUGH BUT THAT SHOULD BE ABOUT IT. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL SPILL INTO THE STATE BEHIND THE FRONT AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS. WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO NEAR ZERO ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOST PART OF THE STATE AND AS SUCH...A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM FRIDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE TEENS ACROSS THE NORTH AND INTO THE MID 20S OVER THE SOUTH BY MORNING BEHIND THE ARCTIC FRONT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY LIGHT PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY...BUT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 56
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered all of Boone County. Conditions improved early in the month. By the end of February, severe drought existed only in the southwestern corner of the county, with moderate drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered all of Marion County. Conditions improved early in the month. By the end of February, only moderate drought existed in the county.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered all of Baxter County. Conditions improved early in the month. By the end of February, moderate drought existed in the county, except for only abnormally dry conditions in the southeastern part of the county.
At the beginning of February, extreme drought covered the northwestern part of Newton County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered the western part of the county, with only moderate drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered most Searcy County, except for moderate drought in the eastern part of the county. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought covered the county, except for only abnormally dry conditions in the southeastern corner of the county.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered all of Johnson County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered the western part of the county, with moderate drought in the eastern part.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered the northwestern half of Pope County, with only moderate drought over the southeastern half. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought covered the northwestern half of the county, with only abnormally dry conditions over the southeastern half.
At the beginning of February, extreme drought covered the western tip of Logan County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved somewhat early in the month. By the end of the month, severe drought covered the western two-thirds of the county, with moderate drought over the eastern third.
At the beginning of February, extreme drought was occurring over the western part of Scott County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved somewhat early in the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered all of Scott County, except for the east, where moderate drought was occurring.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered Polk County. Conditions changed little during the month.
At the beginning of February, severe drought covered the northwestern half of Yell County, with only moderate drought over the southeastern half. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought covered the northwestern half of the county, with only abnormally dry conditions over the southeastern half.
At the beginning of February, severe drought existed over the western part of Montgomery County, with only moderate drought elsewhere. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought existed over most of the county, except for only abnormally dry conditions in the east.
At the beginning of February, severe drought was occurring in the northwestern tip of Pike County, with moderate drought elsewhere. Conditions improved slightly early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought covered the entire county.
At the beginning of February, severe drought existed only in the northwestern corner of Van Buren County, with moderate drought elsewhere. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought was occurring over the northwestern corner of the county, with only abnormally dry conditions elsewhere.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 2013
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: 427743, 427744, 427745, 427746, 427747, 427748, 427749, 427750, 427751, 427752, 427753, 427755, 427756, 427757.