Arkansas, 2022Extreme Cold and Cold in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 2022
December 22 to 24, 2022 · NWS MEG · 20 events in 10 counties and zones
The coldest airmass since December of 1989 descended upon the Mid-South right before Christmas. Gusty north winds combined with very cold temperatures produced wind chills of 15 to 25 degrees below zero across eastern Arkansas from late Thursday, December 22nd into Friday, December 23rd.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
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 coldest airmass since December of 1989 descended upon the Mid-South right before Christmas. Gusty north winds combined with very cold temperatures produced wind chills of 15 to 25 degrees below zero across eastern Arkansas from late Thursday, December 22nd into Friday, December 23rd. Temperatures dropped to between 0 and 5 degrees below zero during the morning of Friday, December 23rd. Numerous frozen pipes occurred in residential houses and businesses across the region. Wind chills remained below zero into the morning hours of December 24th.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clay
- When
- December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 36.368, -90.417 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached 4 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Greene
- When
- December 22, 8:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Greene forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 36.118, -90.559 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached 3 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Craighead
- When
- December 22, 9:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Craighead forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 35.831, -90.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached 4 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mississippi
- When
- December 22, 9:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mississippi forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 35.764, -90.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to 20 to 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached 1 degree below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Poinsett
- When
- December 22, 9:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Poinsett forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.574, -90.663 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to 20 to 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached zero degrees.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cross
- When
- December 22, 10:00 PM CST to December 23, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cross forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.296, -90.771 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to 20 to 25 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached two degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Crittenden
- When
- December 22, 11:00 PM CST to December 23, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Crittenden forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 35.208, -90.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 20 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached zero degrees.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, St. Francis
- When
- December 22, 11:00 PM CST to December 23, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Francis forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 35.022, -90.748 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 20 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached zero degrees.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lee
- When
- December 22, 11:00 PM CST to December 23, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 34.781, -90.782 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 15 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached zero to 5 degrees above zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Phillips
- When
- December 23, 12:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Phillips forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 34.428, -90.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values fell to around 15 degrees below zero and low temperatures reached zero to 5 degrees above zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Phillips
- When
- December 23, 10:00 AM CST to December 24, 9:00 AM CST
- Where
- Phillips forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 34.428, -90.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Crittenden
- When
- December 23, 11:00 AM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Crittenden forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 35.208, -90.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, St. Francis
- When
- December 23, 11:00 AM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Francis forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.022, -90.748 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Lee
- When
- December 23, 11:00 AM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 34.781, -90.782 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Clay
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 36.368, -90.417 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Greene
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Greene forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 36.118, -90.559 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Craighead
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Craighead forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.831, -90.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Mississippi
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Mississippi forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.764, -90.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Poinsett
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Poinsett forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.574, -90.663 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill, Cross
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM CST to December 24, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cross forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 35.296, -90.771 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chill values remained below zero.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Missouri, December 22 to 24, 202250 injured · 91 events
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Kentucky, December 22 to 24, 20221 death · 24 injured · 44 events
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Indiana, December 22 to 24, 20222 deaths · 1 injured · 27 events
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Indiana, December 22 to 24, 20221 death · 1 injured · 78 events
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 22 to 24, 20221 death · 38 events
- Winter Weather in Missouri, December 22, 20221 death · 3 injured · 2 events
- Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Indiana, December 22 to 24, 20221 death · 1 injured · 12 events
- Winter Storm in Missouri, December 22, 202214 injured · 29 events
- Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Iowa, December 22 to 24, 202277 events
- Flooding and High Wind in New York, December 22 to 24, 2022$30,000 · 50 kt wind · 38 events
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 22 to 24, 20221 injured · 42 events
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 22 to 23, 202249 events
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: 1074597, 1074598, 1074599, 1074600, 1074601, 1074602, 1074603, 1074604, 1074605, 1074606, 1075068, 1075064, 1075065, 1075066, 1075057, 1075058, 1075059, 1075060, 1075061, 1075063.