Heavy Snow — Cleburne, Arkansas

2021-02-14 to 2021-02-16 · Cleburne, Arkansas

Event narrative

A COOP observer estimated 12.0 inches of snow at 35.57N, -92.17W.

Wider weather episode

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.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 946468. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.