Arctic high pressure dove south across the plains into the southerh Mississippi Valley region, bringing very cold conditions to the state on the 7th and 8th of January. Many locations saw temperatures drop into the single digits across northern Arkansas, with even some temperatures falling below zero in a few isolated areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
Arctic high pressure dove south across the plains into the southerh Mississippi Valley region, bringing very cold conditions to the state on the 7th and 8th of January. Many locations saw temperatures drop into the single digits across northern Arkansas, with even some temperatures falling below zero in a few isolated areas. Wind chill values were the bigger story as many locations across northern and portions of central Arkansas saw wind chills dip below zero for several hours during the evening of the 7th and morning of the 8th.
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 7, 2:37 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 237 PM CST WED JAN 7 2015 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT LATEST SURFACE OBSERVATIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW ARCTIC AIR SLOWLY OVERSPREADING THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES HAVE ALREADY FALLEN INTO THE TEENS ACROSS THE NORTH AND CONTINUE TO DROP ACROSS THE CENTRAL SECTIONS. THE ARCTIC FRONT HAS NOT QUITE REACHED THE FAR SOUTH BUT EVEN HERE TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN FALLING SHORTLY. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES ALSO CONTINUE TO PLUNGE SHOWING THE EXTENT OF THE DRY AIR. DEW POINTS ARE ALREADY IN THE LOWER SINGLE DIGITS OR A FEW DEGREES BELOW ZERO ACROSS THE NORTH. ALL SHORT TERM MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT AND A COMPROMISE OF SOLUTIONS WILL BE USED THIS AFTERNOON. ARCTIC BOUNDARY HAS BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY LIGHT FLURRY ACTIVITY WITH NO ACCUMULATION REPORTED OR EXPECTED. ARCTIC AIR IS BEING BROUGHT IN BY GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WHICH SHOULD DECOUPLE QUICKLY AFTER SUNSET WITH THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY EXPIRING AT 6 PM THIS EVENING. WILL CONTINUE THE WIND CHILL ADVISORY THROUGH THE NIGHT ACROSS THE NORTH AS THIS IS WHERE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES WILL BE AND THERE APPEARS TO BE JUST ENOUGH GRADIENT WIND TO JUSTIFY IT. FURTHER SOUTH...THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THE CASE AND THE ADVISORY WILL NOT BE EXPANDED AT THIS TIME EVEN WITH WIND CHILLS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS...ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING. SURFACE HIGH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL DROP INTO NORTH ARKANSAS TONIGHT. WITH CLEARING SKIES AND DECREASING WINDS...WIDESPREAD SINGLE DIGIT LOWS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTH WITH READINGS DROPPING INTO THE LOWER TO MID TEENS ALONG THE LOUISIANA BORDER. THE HIGH WILL SHUNT OFF TO THE EAST OF THE STATE ON THURSDAY WITH SOUTHERLY SURFACE FLOW RETURNING BY LATE IN THE DAY. WARMING WILL BE MINIMAL AS STRONG CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT DOMINATES THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE SLACKENING SOMEWHAT. HOWEVER...SAID UPPER FLOW WILL BRING ANOTHER DRY FRONT WITH A REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR TO THE AREA FOR FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR A DRY SATURDAY BUY QUICKLY MOVES TO THE EAST DURING THE DAY. MEANWHILE...MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO MOVE IN AS A SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. WITH ABUNDANT DRY AIR INITIALLY IN PLACE...ONLY SLIGHT CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED TO ROUND OUT THE PERIOD. THERMAL PROFILES SUPPORT A MIX OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN AT THIS TIME FOR SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE MAIN IMPACT OF THIS SYSTEM BEING IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD. && .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MODEL GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT...WITH MOISTURE STREAMING NORTH SUNDAY. AT THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION...DEW POINTS WILL STILL BE RATHER LOW...AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO FORM. EVENTUALLY THE SLEET WILL MIX WITH FREEZING RAIN...ESPECIALLY WITH THE SHALLOW COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE. AS USUAL...GUIDANCE DOES NOT HANDLE THE SHALLOW COLD AIR VERY WELL...AND HAVE KEPT A MIXTURE OF WINTER PRECIPITATION IN THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY MORNING. THERE IS EXPECTED TO BE A GRADUAL WARMING TREND DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS...BUT WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE NORMALLY COLDER LOCATIONS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. AGAIN...THERE ARE SEVERAL DETAILS THAT WILL NEED TO BE FINE TUNED IN THIS FORECAST...SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR LATER UPDATES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 6 26 20 29 / 0 0 0 0 CAMDEN AR 13 34 23 37 / 0 0 0 10 HARRISON AR 3 28 17 25 / 0 0 0 0 HOT SPRINGS AR 11 31 21 34 / 0 0 0 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 10 29 21 33 / 0 0 0 0 MONTICELLO AR 13 32 23 37 / 0 0 0 10 MOUNT IDA AR 8 31 20 33 / 0 0 0 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 4 26 18 25 / 0 0 0 0 NEWPORT AR 7 26 21 29 / 0 0 0 0 PINE BLUFF AR 13 31 22 34 / 0 0 0 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 9 31 20 31 / 0 0 0 0 SEARCY AR 7 27 19 31 / 0 0 0 0 STUTTGART AR 11 28 21 32 / 0 0 0 0 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR 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. WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST THURSDAY FOR BAXTER-BOONE- FULTON-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-MARION-NEWTON-SEARCY-SHARP- STONE. && SHORT TERM...56 / LONG TERM...58
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 255 PM CST WED JAN 7 2015 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-081100- 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- 255 PM CST WED JAN 7 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR IS MOVING INTO THE NATURAL STATE...BRINGING THE COLDEST AIR OF THIS WINTER. OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...WHILE ACROSS SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...OVERNIGHT READINGS WILL BE BELOW 15 DEGREES. IN ADDITION...BREEZY NORTH WINDS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WILL COMBINE WITH THE COLD TEMPERATURES TO PRODUCE WIND CHILL READINGS BELOW ZERO ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS...OR AREAS NORTH OF A JASPER...TO MOUNTAIN VIEW...TO NEWPORT LINE. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO LESSEN LATER THIS EVENING...BUT TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BITTERLY COLD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS ONLY REACHING THE MID 20S TO THE LOWER 30S ACROSS THE REGION. THERE WILL BE A VERY SLOW WARMING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM TEXAS. DUE TO THE COLD AIR OVER THE REGION...THERE IS A CHANCE OF WINTER PRECIPITATION...MAINLY DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED IN THE COMING DAYS...WITH MANY DETAILS STILL BEING FINE TUNED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 58
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during the evening of the 7th.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during the evening of the 7th.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during the late evening hours of the 7th into the early morning hours of the 8th.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during morning hours of the 8th.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during morning hours of the 8th at the North Little Rock Airport.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during the morning of the 8th.
Cold surface temperatures combined with a brisk north wind caused wind chills to drop below zero for several hours during the morning of the 8th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, January 2015
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: 549613, 549616, 549621, 549622, 549623, 549614, 549619.