Prior to the arrival of system number one, Winter Storm Warnings were in effect for the whole state on the 14th. Even more alarming/impressive was the fact that similar warnings were posted in Texas to the Rio Grande River!
Every event with a place to put it; 36 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.
Prior to the arrival of system number one, Winter Storm Warnings were in effect for the whole state on the 14th. Even more alarming/impressive was the fact that similar warnings were posted in Texas to the Rio Grande River! This very rare situation (wintry precipitation and cold) put stress on the power grid in the Lone Star State, knocking out electricity to more than four million homes.
Snow really got going locally during the wee hours of the 15th, and was heaviest from southwest into central and northeast Arkansas. This was a fluffy/powdery snow, and accumulated quickly (more than ten inches at some locales). Close to eleven inches of snow was measured at Greers Ferry (Cleburne County), the North Little Rock Airport (Pulaski County), Perryville (Perry County), and near Vilonia (Faulkner County). Eight to ten inch totals were reported at Cabot (Lonoke County), Daisy (Pike County), Fairfield Bay (Van Buren County), Greenbrier (Faulkner County), Hot Springs (Garland County), Little Rock and Maumelle (both in Pulaski County), Mountain Home (Baxter County), south of Mount Ida (Montgomery County), Paron (Saline County), and Pearcy (Garland County).
Little Rock (Pulaski County) had an event total of 8.4 inches. This ended a more than three year snow drought, with the last inch of snow on January 15, 2018.
It was even colder on the 15th. High temperatures were mostly in the single digits and teens. It was 4 degrees at Harrison (Boone County), and 6 degrees at Mountain Home (Baxter County). At noon CST, given a north to northwest wind at 10 to 15 mph (and higher gusts), wind chill index readings ranged from zero to twenty below zero in northern and central sections, and a few degrees above zero in the south. While snow tapered off in the afternoon (there were leftover flurries), clouds hung around the bulk of the day.
There was clearing after dark, especially in the northwest. With snow cover, the mercury plummeted. The 16th started with well below zero readings in the northwest. It was -20 degrees at Fayetteville (Washington County)! Going back through records (using information from the experimental station on the north side of town), it was comparably cold on the morning of February 10, 2011. Otherwise, it had not been this much below zero since 1930. At Highfill (Benton County), it was -13 degrees, with -9 degrees at Harrison (Boone County) and Russellville (Pope County), and -8 degrees at De Queen (Sevier County) and Fort Smith (Sebastian County). Little Rock (Pulaski County) had -1 degree, which was the lowest reading since December 23, 1989.
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 14, 6:03 AM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Little Rock AR 603 AM CST Sun Feb 14 2021 .AVIATION...14/12Z TAF CYCLE MVFR CIGS were noted acrs the area this mrng. Wintry precip is expected to overspread the area fm the W as the day progresses. Most areas wl see mainly SN, with a SN/PL mix expected over portions of central and southeast AR. Expect OCNL IFR conds in some area late in the PD. /44/ && .PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 415 AM CST Sun Feb 14 2021) SHORT TERM...Today Through Tuesday Focus in the short term will cont to be on the first storm sys that will bring accumulating snow/some sleet to the FA starting later today thru much of Mon. No changes were made to the going headlines that are still in effect. Skies were mostly cloudy acrs the FA this mrng, with temps ranging fm the single digits ovr NW AR, to the teens and 20s elsewhere. Already seeing sub-zero wind chill reading ovr parts of N AR early this mrng. Overall fcst trends have not changed with this fcst cycle. Initial round of precip is expected to slowly overspread the area fm the SW late this mrng and thru the aftn hours as a lead upr impulse lifts Newd acrs the region, with most of the accumulating snow focused ovr the NW half of the FA. We could actually see a dcrs in the overall snowfall rate this evening as the upper support shift N of the FA. A stronger upr sys wl then lift thru the region later tngt and Mon, bringing with it another round of snow. Model have tended to shift the main axis of accumulating snow/sleet assocd with the upper sys to the SE half of the FA. Model soundings still show a shallow warm layer aloft for periods of sleet to occur ovr parts of cntrl/SE AR at times, which could affect overall snowfall amts. All of the precip is still expected to taper off fm the SW later in the day on Mon. As far as accumulations go, 3 to 5 inches are fcst for locations generally along and NW of the I-30/Highway 67/167 corridor. To the SE of this axis, 4 to 7 inches of snow/sleet is expected. As has been stated many times before, there wl likely be some adjustments to some of these amts as the storm track could still deviate ovr the next 24 to 36 hours. Bitterly cold temps wl impact the region in the coming days. Highs wl be mainly in the teens and 20s the next few days. Lows tngt wl drop into the single digits and teens. The coldest mrng wl still be on Tue. With fresh snowcover, and high pres bldg into AR, lows will plummet to sub-zero readings ovr N AR, with single digits common elsewhere. Brutally cold wind chills wl fall to below zero at most locations. The weather on Tue wl be very cold and dry, but another winter storm wl impact the Natural State by the middle of the week. LONG TERM...Tuesday Night Through Sunday As soon as the first system exits the area, attention will then turn to another H5 trough that will be approaching the area, bringing another round of wintry weather to the state. ECMWF solution continues to be slightly faster versus both the GFS and the CMC but overall impacts on the sensible weather would be minimal. As such, a blend of forecast solutions is preferred this morning. All data continues to show a highly amplified pattern to start the period with deep troughing and very cold air remaining over a good part of the continental United States. Another strong piece on upper level energy will be moving out of the Rockies and into the nations mid section by Wednesday morning. Set up is very similar to what will be happening in the short term with moisture overspreading the region and into the arctic air. This will result in widespread accumulating snow over the region mainly in the Wednesday/Wednesday night time frame. Thermal profiles are once again supportive of a wintry mix over the south and southeast with both freezing rain and sleet possible. However, amounts and location varies between the models at this time and likely to change from current thinking moving forward. With so much going on in the short term, decided to just use a blend of model snow outputs with enough wintry precipitation to be worrisome. Ended the precipitation from west to east Thursday as the upper system pivots to the northeast. There is so good news to pass on though. Once this system exits the region, models all agree that the upper flow will be flattening out and the arctic air mass will start to pull out with temperatures slowly moderating next weekend. Until then, temperatures will remain well below normal. Look for highs only in the 20s Wednesday but warming back into the 30s for Thursday with some 40 degree readings returning by Friday. Overnight low temperatures will remain downright cold with Friday morning appearing to be the coldest morning with widespread lows in the single digits and teens. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Winter Storm Warning from noon today to midnight CST Monday night FOR Arkansas-Baxter-Cleburne-Cleveland-Desha-Drew-Faulkner- Fulton-Grant-Independence-Izard-Jackson-Jefferson-Lawrence- Lincoln-Lonoke-Monroe-Prairie-Pulaski-Randolph-Saline-Sharp- Stone-White-Woodruff. Wind Chill Advisory until noon CST today FOR Arkansas-Baxter- Boone-Cleburne-Faulkner-Fulton-Grant-Independence-Izard-Jackson- Jefferson-Lawrence-Lonoke-Marion-Monroe-Newton-Prairie-Pulaski- Randolph-Saline-Searcy-Sharp-Stone-Van Buren-White-Woodruff. Winter Storm Warning until midnight CST Monday night FOR Boone- Bradley-Calhoun-Clark-Conway-Dallas-Garland-Hot Spring-Johnson- Logan-Marion-Montgomery-Newton-Ouachita-Perry-Pike-Polk-Pope- Scott-Searcy-Van Buren-Yell. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 454 AM CST Sun Feb 14 2021 ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-151100- Boone-Marion-Baxter-Fulton-Sharp-Randolph-Newton-Searcy-Stone- Izard-Independence-Lawrence-Johnson-Pope-Van Buren-Cleburne- Jackson-Logan-Conway-Faulkner-White-Woodruff-Scott-Yell-Perry- Polk-Montgomery-Garland-Saline-Pulaski-Lonoke-Prairie-Monroe-Pike- Clark-Hot Spring-Grant-Jefferson-Arkansas-Dallas-Cleveland- Lincoln-Desha-Ouachita-Calhoun-Bradley-Drew- 454 AM CST Sun Feb 14 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Bitterly cold wind chills will be noted across the area this morning, thanks to a brisk northeast wind. Wind chill values will range from zero to ten below zero over north Arkansas this morning, with single digits and teens noted elsewhere. The focus then turns to wintry weather later today and tonight as a strong storm system moves through the region. Several inches of snow will be possible across much of the area, along with areas of sleet. This will result in treacherous driving conditions. If travel is necessary, use extreme caution and allow extra time to reach your destination. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday Through Saturday Wintry weather will be continuing across the state Monday morning as a storm system pulls away from the region. Precipitation will be mainly snow except for a wintry mix continuing over the southeast part of the state. The precipitation will be ending from the west during the day Monday before coming to an end Monday evening. Total snow and sleet accumulations of 2 to 5 inches could be seen generally along and northwest of the I-30/US-67 corridor. Further to the southeast, storm totals of 4 to 7 inches are expected. This potential for wintry weather will create significant impacts across most of the state. While some differences exist in the exact placement of the where the heaviest of the winter weather will fall, confidence continues to steadily increase on a significant winter storm. Please refer to the latest forecasts as details regarding the exact impacts become more clear. Much colder air will be over the state Monday and into the middle of the week as an arctic air mass remains over the area. This will be the coldest air of the winter so far and possibly some of the coldest we have seen in many years. Low temperatures Monday through Wednesday mornings will be in the single digits and teens with parts of the north likely dropping below zero. Highs Monday and Tuesday will mostly be in the teens and 20s. Expect wind chills to be even more significant with wind chills dipping well below zero for a good portion of the area Monday and Tuesday mornings. An additional round of winter weather will be possible on Wednesday and into Thursday with more accumulating snow likely. Several inches of snow could fall with more of a wintry mix once again over the southeast. .Spotter Information Statement... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Visit NWS Little Rock on the web. Go to http://weather.gov/lzk. 44/56
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
47 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The AWOS at Flippin airport measured 8.5 inches of snow at 36.10N, -92.76W.
A COOP observer measured 14.0 inches of snow near Harrison at 36.24N, -93.12W.
A COOP observer measured 12.0 inches of snow near Batesville at 35.55N, -91.63W.
Received a report via social media of a measurement of 9.2 inches of snow near Mountain Home airport at 36.36N, -92.38W.
A COOP observer near Stuttgart airport estimated 7.0 inches of snow fell at 34.79N, -91.46W.
A COOP observer measured 7.0 inches of snow at 35.13N, -93.72W.
A COOP observer measured 7.0 inches of snow at 35.46N, -93.47W.
A CoCoRaHS observer measured 8.0 inches of snow at 36.01N, -93.19W.
Law enforcement reported a measurement of 8.2 of snow at 34.90N, -94.09W.
A COOP observer measured 7.5 inches of snow in Mena at 34.49N, -93.97W.
A COOP observer measured 10.0 inches of snow at 34.49N, -93.63W.
A COOP observer measured 10.0 inches of snow.
We received a public report of an estimated 9.0 inches of snow at 34.23N, -93.74W.
We received a social media report of an estimated 8 inches of snowfall at 35.09N, -93.45W.
We received a social media report of an estimate of 7.0 of snow at 35.07N, -91.89W.
There was an estimated 7.0 inches of snow that fell at 34.14N, -93.06W.
We received a social media report of a measurement of 9.5 inches of snow at 34.34N, -93.29W.
Law enforcement reported a measurement of 11.0 of snow at 35.01N, -92.80W.
We received a social media report of a measurement of 6.8 of snow at 34.24N, -92.92W.
A COOP observer measured 5.0 inches of snow at 33.82N, -92.41W.
A COOP observer measured 8.4 inches of snow at 35.27N, -93.14W.
A CoCoRaHS observer measured 10.0 inches of snow at 35.10N, -92.89W.
A storm spotter estimated 7.0 inches of snow at 34.31N, -92.37W.
Local law enforcement measured 10.0 inches of snow at 34.77N, -92.76W.
We received a social media report of a measurement of 10.6 inches of snow in Conway at 35.10N, -92.48W.
Received a social media measurement of 7.1 inches of snow at 35.87N, -92.11W.
A COOP observer measured 12.0 inches of snow near Little Rock National Airport at 34.88N, -92.35W.
Received a social media estimate of 10.5 inches of snow in Clinton at 35.61N, -92.27W.
A COOP observer estimated 12.0 inches of snow at 35.57N, -92.17W.
A report of a measurement of 9.0 of snow at 34.94N, -92.02W.
A COOP observer measured 9.7 inches of snow at 36.12N, -92.16W.
A storm spotter measured 10.9 inches of snow at 36.32N, -91.48W.
We received a social media report of an estimated 6.0 inches of snow at 33.78N, -92.49W.
There was an estimated 7.0 inches of snow that fell at 35.29N, -91.35W.
A COOP observer measured 4.0 inches of snow at 33.31N, -92.35W.
An estimated 6.0 inches of snow fell at 33.95N, -92.20W.
A COOP observer measured 7.2 inches of snow at 35.43N, -91.11W.
A COOP observer measured 7.0 inches of snow at 36.26N, -90.97W.
The Pine Bluff Airport ASOS measured 6.0 inches of snow at 34.21N, -92.02W.
A COOP observer near Walnut Ridge measured 6.4 inches of snow at 36.24N, -91.25W.
There was an estimated 6.5 inches of snow that fell at 33.92N, -91.77W.
We received a social media report of an estimate of 5.0 inches of snow at 33.62N, -91.79W.
Ouachita County Fire Department reported a measurement of 6.3 inches of snow at 33.42N, -93.07W.
We received a social media report of a measurement of 5.1 of snow at 34.44N, -91.49W.
An estimated 5.5 inches of snow fell at 34.88N, -91.19W.
There was an estimated 3.5 inches of snow that fell at 33.77N, -91.27W.
A COOP observer measured 10.0 inches of snow at 36.49N, -91.54W.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 2021
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: 946477, 946474, 946472, 946470, 946476, 946456, 946473, 946461, 946402, 946428, 946425, 946366, 946419, 946449, 946403, 946478, 946426, 946400, 946404, 946418, 946448, 946452, 946422, 946411, 946427, 946471, 946469, 946466, 946468, 946399, 946417, 946410, 946421, 946479, 946420, 946480, 946415, 946423, 946457, 946475, and more.