Winter Weather in Arkansas, February 20, 2020

Name: Winter Weather in Arkansas, February 20, 2020
Start: 2020-02-20T01:45
End: 2020-02-20T08:15
Location: Arkansas

February 20, 2020 · NWS LZK · 12 events in 8 counties and zones

A cold front settled to the south on the 19th, with Arctic high pressure to follow. Rain continued over the southern counties.

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: 12

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 cold front settled to the south on the 19th, with Arctic high pressure to follow. Rain continued over the southern counties. There were one to two inch amounts in the far south at Monticello (Drew County). Around a quarter inch was measured at Little Rock (Pulaski County). Moisture was very limited (less than a tenth of an inch) farther north due to dry air around the incoming Arctic high. This is where it was cold enough to support light snow, and a lack of moisture meant accumulations would be minimal.

Light snow materialized across the north early on the 20th, with up to an inch of powder at Ozone and just southeast of Yale (both in Johnson County). Before precipitation ended, there was a dusting of snow in central Arkansas (less than a half inch) at Beebe (White County), Bee Branch (Van Buren County), Joy (White County), North Little Rock (Pulaski County), Perryville (Perry County), and Petit Jean State Park (Conway County).

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 19, 5:26 PM CST, 8 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 5:26 PM CST, 8 hours 19 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 19, 4:14 AM CST, 21 hours 31 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

12 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Logan

When: February 20, 1:45 AM CST to 7:24 AM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Light snow was reported with 0.3 inch estimated at Mount Magazine.

Winter Weather, Johnson

When: February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 6:32 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Light snow was reported with 1.0 inch estimated in Ozone.

Winter Weather, Johnson

When: February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 6:32 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Light snow was reported with 1.0 inch estimated 3 SSE Yale, in Batson.

Winter Weather, Yell

When: February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 8:15 AM CST
Where: Yell forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Light snow was reported with 0.3 inch estimated at Mt. Nebo State Park.

Winter Weather, Perry

When: February 20, 2:30 AM CST to 7:47 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 34.947, -92.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.2 inch estimated at Wye Mountain.

Winter Weather, Perry

When: February 20, 2:30 AM CST to 7:47 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 34.947, -92.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.2 inch estimated in Perry.

Winter Weather, Van Buren

When: February 20, 3:00 AM CST to 7:44 AM CST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Light snow was reported with 0.2 inch estimated in Bee Branch.

Winter Weather, White

When: February 20, 3:50 AM CST to 8:10 AM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 35.256, -91.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.2 inch estimated in Beebe.

Winter Weather, White

When: February 20, 3:50 AM CST to 8:10 AM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 35.256, -91.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.3 inch estimated in Joy.

Winter Weather, Conway

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 6:50 AM CST
Where: Conway forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 35.262, -92.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.2 inch estimated at Petit Jean Mountain.

Winter Weather, Pulaski

When: February 20, 5:55 AM CST to 8:05 AM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 34.770, -92.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.1 inch measured 3 SSE Cato.

Winter Weather, Pulaski

When: February 20, 5:55 AM CST to 8:05 AM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 34.770, -92.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Light snow was reported with 0.3 inch measured at North Little Rock Airport.

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

Every storm in Arkansas in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, February 2020

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 877454, 877449, 877451, 877452, 877458, 877459, 877446, 877457, 877460, 877453, 877447, 877448.