Winter Storm, Columbia
- When
- February 11, 3:00 PM CST to February 12, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Columbia forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 33.214, -93.227 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Arkansas, February 11 to 12, 2014
With a very cold atmosphere already in place, an upper level storm system moved out of the Texas Hill Country and into Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana during the afternoon hours of February 11th. Precipitation became widespread across the region late in the afternoon and especially during the overnight hours of February 11th and the 12th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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.
With a very cold atmosphere already in place, an upper level storm system moved out of the Texas Hill Country and into Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana during the afternoon hours of February 11th. Precipitation became widespread across the region late in the afternoon and especially during the overnight hours of February 11th and the 12th. During the onset of precipitation, a mixture of rain and sleet was the predominant precipitation type with some sleet accumulations exceeding one inch across portions of South Central Arkansas. There was even a brief transition of moderate snow across portions of the region as well. During the evening and overnight hours of the event, the transition turned to predominantly freezing rain with some hefty accumulations noted across the region. Ice accumulations of one quarter of an inch were reported in Columbia and Union Counties in South Central Arkansas. Impacts included numerous automobile accidents, downed trees and powerlines as well as many without power across the counties.
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 Feb 11, 1:42 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 1:42 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
142 PM CST TUE FEB 11 2014
.UPDATE...
NEW ZONES FINALLY FOR THE UPGRADE EXPANDING THE WARNING WEST AND
FOR THE ADVISORY WITH THE ADDITIONS OF COUNTIES INCLUDING
TEXARKANA. ALSO...WE HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE WEATHER GRIDS
FOR THE NEXT 24 HRS TO PRIMARILY ENHANCE WORDING FOR RAIN THIS
AFTERNOON MIXED WITH SLEET AND THEN A FULL MIX INTO THE EVENING
AND OVERNIGHT OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN TO ENDING SNOW. THE WATER
VAPOR SHOWS ALL THE MOISTURE GATHERING AHEAD OF THE LONG WAVE NOW
PUSHING ACROSS TEXAS INTO OUR AREA FOR THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.
SURFACE REPORTS OF SLEET AND SOME FREEZING RAIN JUST TO OUR WEST NOW
WITH LOTS OF VIRGA AND RAIN FALLING...LOWERING AIR TEMPERATURES
AND RISING DEW POINTS READINGS. MORE TO COME SOO N. /24/
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1134 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2014/
DISCUSSION...
JUST A FEW CHANGES TO HIGHS FOR NOW ALONG WITH MORE RAIN THAN
FROZEN FOR THIS AFTERNOON...BUT SLEET WILL BE MIXING WITH
EVAPORATIVE COOLING AND THEN THE RAIN WILL BECOME FREEZING RAIN.
OUR SPREADS ARE GREAT WITH 10 TO 20 DEGREES DIFFERENCE AT THIS
TIME. MOSAICS ARE SHOWING INCREASING COVERAGE BACK TO OUR WEST
OVER TEXAS...WITH SOME RAIN NOW AT PALESTINE AND NOW A QUESTION
MARK WITH 36 OVER 29...BIG CHANGES ALREADY AS OF THIS WRITING.
THEY WILL BE A GOOD INDICATOR FOR WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO THEIR EAST IN
OUR CWA AND WE WILL WATCH CLOSELY FOR THE TRANSITION AND EXPECTED
AIR TEMPERATURE DROP. FOR NOW HAVE EXPANDED THE WINTER WEATHER
BACK INTO TEXARKANA FOR THIS EVENING MAINLY. NEW GUIDANCE IS
SHOWING SOME QPF THAT FAR NORTH AND EVEN WITH TRACE AMOUNTS WILL
BE JUSTIFIED. NEW GUIDANCE ON WPC ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE
AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC SHORTLY AND WILL PERHAPS CALL FOR WESTWARD
EXTENSION OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING INTO MORE OF NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA. FOR NOW HAVE INCREASE ICE ACCUM GRID FOR 00-06Z ALONG
AND SOUTH OF I-20 BACK INTO EAST TEXAS AND THE 06-12Z GRID OVER
LOUISIANA. THE NEW NAM AND GFS ARE INDICATING GREATER THAN QUARTER
INCH FROM TYLER TO MONROE...WITH A BULLS EYE ANY WHERE FROM TOLEDO
BEND TO JUST SOUTH OF SHREVEPORT THIS EVENING. THINKING THE
ADVISORY WILL DO WELL FOR MOST OF OUR TEXAS COUNTIES. /24/
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 610 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2014/
DISCUSSION...
FOR THE 11/12Z TAFS...VFR/MVFR FLIGHT WEATHER WILL PREVAIL
INITIALLY WITH CIGS RANGING FROM 5 KFT NORTH TO AROUND 2 KFT
SOUTH. CONDITIONS WILL CHANGE AFTER 17Z BEGINNING IN WESTERN
PORTIONS OF EAST TEXAS WHERE CIGS WILL LOWER TO MVFR WITH AREAS
OF RAIN AND SLEET DEVELOPING...BRINGING MVFR VISIBILITY. THE
LOWER FLIGHT CONDITIONS AND PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD OVER THE
REMAINDER OF THE FOUR STATE REGION BY 12/00Z...WITH FLIGHT WEATHER
BECOMING IFR WITH MIXED RAIN...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MOST AREAS
WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD.
ICING WILL BE MAJOR CONCERN WITH MULTIPLE FREEZING LEVELS.
SURFACE WIND MOSTLY NELY BETWEEN 8 AND 12 KTS. /14/
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 509 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2014/
DISCUSSION...
VIRTUALLY NO RETURNS NOTED ON KSHV RADAR THIS MORNING...AS MUCH OF
THE PRECIP CAME TO AN END SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPERATURES
HAVE REMAINED ABOVE FREEZING OVER MUCH OF E TX...WHICH HELPED
KEEP THE EARLIER PRECIP FROM CAUSING ANY PROBLEMS...BUT N LA/SW
AR/SE OK CONTINUE TO HOVER NEAR 30-32 DEGREES. A FEW REPORTS OF
GLAZING ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES HAVE COME IN FROM OUR N CENTRAL
LA PARISHES...BUT NO OTHER TRAVEL ISSUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED
OTHERWISE. LOOKS LIKE FOR THE MOST PART WE HAVE ESCAPED THIS FIRST
ROUND OF PRECIP WITH VERY LITTLE IMPACTS. TONIGHT MAY BE A
DIFFERENT STORY HOWEVER.
SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY BEGINNING TO DIG INTO EXTREME W TX WILL WORK
ITS WAY SEWD TODAY...WITH MOISTURE SURGING NWD ONCE AGAIN INTO OUR
REGION. PRECIP WILL BEGIN DEVELOPING...LIKELY VERY QUICKLY...BY
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS DEEP E TX...AND WORK ITS WAY NEWD BY
THIS EVENING. THE HIGHEST PRECIP AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE LIMITED TO THE
I-20 CORRIDOR AND SWD. PRECIP TYPE HAS PROVEN TO BE A DIFFICULT
CHALLENGE...AS NAM/GFS MODEL SOUNDINGS DISAGREE SOMEWHAT. NAM FCST
SOUNDING SFC TEMPS LOOK TO BE WAY TOO WARM CONSIDERING ONGOING CAA
AT THE SFC AND EXPECTED OVERCAST SKIES. HAVE LEANED SLIGHTLY MORE
TOWARDS THE GFS SOUNDINGS FOR PRECIP TYPE AS A RESULT. AT ANY
RATE...TEMPS TODAY WILL LIKELY PLAY A KEY ROLE IN DICTATING PRECIP
TYPE AND IMPACTS. FOR NOW HAVE GONE WITH SNOW ACROSS EXTREME NE
TX/SW AR/SE OK...A MIX OF PRECIP TYPES IN THE I-20 CORRIDOR...AND
RAIN TRANSITIONING TO FREEZING RAIN FROM LUFKIN TO MONROE AND SWD.
CONFIDENCE IN PRECIP TYPES AND ACCUMULATION OF ICE/SNOW/SLEET IS
SHAKY AT BEST...WHICH HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SORT THROUGH WINTER
WEATHER PRODUCTS THIS MORNING. HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY/WINTER STORM WARNING AS IS...WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF OUR EXTREME NRN SECTIONS. FOR THOSE AREAS...HAVE DROPPED THE
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...AS QPF IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE SUFFICIENT
TO GENERATE AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. THAT SAID...
EXPECT THAT SOME CHANGES TO THE WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS WILL NEED
TO BE MADE ON THE DAY SHIFT...PERHAPS TO EXPAND THE WINTER STORM
WARNING FURTHER SWD PRIMARILY FOR POTENTIAL ICE ACCUMULATION.
PRECIP WILL MOVE OUT COMPLETELY BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY...WITH SKIES
RAPIDLY CLEARING AND TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE MID 40S
AREAWIDE. ANY LINGERING ACCUMULATION OF FROZEN PRECIP SHOULD NOT
HAVE DIFFICULTY MELTING.
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PD...NW FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP US DRY
THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH TEMPS WARMING TO WELL ABOVE SEASONAL
NORMALS BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. OUR NEXT CHANCE AT RAIN LOOKS
TO BEGIN CREEPING IN AROUND MONDAY.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV 27 46 29 57 37 / 80 10 0 0 10
MLU 28 42 26 53 35 / 90 30 0 0 10
DEQ 22 46 25 54 32 / 20 10 0 0 10
TXK 24 45 29 54 37 / 50 10 0 0 10
ELD 23 44 24 55 34 / 50 10 0 0 10
TYR 25 47 30 56 40 / 50 10 0 0 10
GGG 25 46 28 56 38 / 60 10 0 0 10
LFK 29 50 30 59 38 / 60 10 0 0 10
&&
.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: ARZ070>073.
LA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022.
OK...NONE.
TX...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: TXZ151-153-166-167.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES:
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149-150-152-165.
&&
24Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 11, 2:02 PM CST, 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 202 PM CST TUE FEB 11 2014 LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-TXZ151-153-166-167-122015- CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-UNION LA-DE SOTO- RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA-NATCHITOCHES-WINN- GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-PANOLA-SHELBY-SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX- 202 PM CST TUE FEB 11 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND FOR DEEP EAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... THE SECOND ROUND OF PRECIPITATION IS SPREADING EAST QUICKLY WITH RAIN THIS AFTERNOON MIXED WITH SOME SLEET. AS TEMPERATURES FALL FROM EVAPORATIVE COOLING AND THE SETTING OF THE SUN...THE PRECIPITATION WILL TRANSITION TO ALL FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET AND PERHAPS SOME LIGHT SNOW BEFORE ENDING OVERNIGHT. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND ONE QUARTER INCH WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA. MOTORIST ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION ESPECIALLY OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL PERHAPS TRANSITION TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING EARLY WEDNESDAY. THEN CLEARING SKIES WILL AID TEMPERATURES IN WARMING TO WELL ABOVE FREEZING...ALLOWING FOR ACCUMULATED ICE TO MELT INTO THE AFTERNOON. WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER WILL FOLLOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR ICE REPORTS MAY BE NEEDED BY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. ARZ070>073-TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149-150-152-165- 122015- MILLER-LAFAYETTE-COLUMBIA-UNION AR-RED RIVER-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS- CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-HARRISON-CHEROKEE- RUSK-NACOGDOCHES-ANGELINA- 202 PM CST TUE FEB 11 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH ARKANSAS AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... LIGHT RAIN AND SLEET WILL MIX WILL LOWER TEMPERATURES BY EVAPORATIVE COOLING...COUPLED WITH SUNSET AND THIS EVENING WILL SEE WIDESPREAD FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND PERHAPS SOME INTO MUCH OF THE EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A TENTH...TO NEAR QUARTER INCH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AREA. ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT AND AVERAGE NEAR A HALF AN INCH THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MOTORIST ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION ESPECIALLY OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR SNOWFALL OR ICE REPORTS MAY BE NECESSARY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. ARZ050-051-059>061-OKZ077-122015- SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MCCURTAIN- 202 PM CST TUE FEB 11 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... LIGHT RAIN WILL MIX WITH SLEET AND SNOW BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES. LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET OR SNOW WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT AND AVERAGE NEAR A HALF AN INCH THROUGH TONIGHT. MOTORIST ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION ESPECIALLY OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES THIS EVENING AND EARLY ON WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR SNOWFALL OR ICE REPORTS MAY BE NECESSARY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. 24
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Union
- When
- February 11, 3:00 PM CST to February 12, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 33.171, -92.597 (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
- Winter Weather in Texas, February 11, 2014
- Avalanche in Oregon, February 11, 2014
- Winter Storm in South Carolina, February 11 to 13, 2014
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Georgia, February 11 to 13, 2014
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 11 to 13, 2014
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, February 11 to 12, 2014
- Ice Storm and Hail in Louisiana, February 11 to 12, 2014
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Alabama, February 11 to 13, 2014
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 11, 2014
- Winter Weather in Texas, February 11 to 12, 2014
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 11 to 12, 2014
- Winter Storm in Louisiana, February 11 to 12, 2014
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 2014
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: 489828, 489829.