Winter Storm — Union, Arkansas

2026-01-23 to 2026-01-25 · Union, Arkansas

Wider weather episode

A strong arctic cold front moved south into the Four State Region during the afternoon through the overnight hours on January 23rd-24th, with temperatures quickly falling from the upper 40s to mid 50s on the 23rd into the 20s and lower 30s by the early morning hours on the 24th, with temperatures continuing to fall through the day. Meanwhile, a southwest flow aloft developed over much of the Central and Southern Plains into the Eastern United States, ahead of a large upper level trough that developed along the West Coast and Desert Southwest, and drifted slowly east through the Rockies, Plains, and Mississippi Valley before weakening. This trough tapped ample moisture from the Southern Pacific, with strong overrunning that developed atop the shallow arctic air mass which contributed to widespread periods of freezing rain and sleet across the Four State Region through the morning of the 25th. Significant ice and sleet accumulations were observed, with the bitter cold air mass lingering through the morning of the 28th, before enough thawing was observed to melt the ice off of area trees, power lines, and roadways.

In Southwest Arkansas, the following freezing rain (ice) accretions were measured at the following locations:

Little River County: 1 WSW Ashdown: 0.50 inches

Sevier County: De Queen: 0.25 inches

Howard County: 1 NNE Nashville: 0.50 inches

Hempstead County: Hope: 0.10 inches

Columbia County: 3 ESE Magnolia: 0.01 inches

Union County: 3 NNE El Dorado: 0.10 inches

The following sleet accumulations were measured across Southwest Arkansas:

Miller County: 2 NW Texarkana: 4.0 inches, Texarkana Regional Airport: 3.5 inches, 8 N Fouke: 1.3 inches.

Lafayette County: Lewisville: 3.0 inches.

Columbia County: 3 ESE Magnolia: 1.0 inches.

Union County: 1 S El Dorado: 1.3 inches, 3 NNE El Dorado: 1.0 inches.

Nevada County: Prescott: 3.5 inches.

Hempstead County: 1 NW Hope: 2.0 inches.

Howard County: 1 NE Nashville: 4.0 inches.

Sevier County: De Queen: 3.0 inches.

Little River County: Ashdown: 3.5 inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1308655. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.