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| Storm Reports |
| Are you interested in what happened during a recent event? Check out the
report below. |
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January 2008 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| It was a wild January in
Arkansas, with a variety of weather. There was an historic tornado
outbreak on the 7th and 8th, a rare wind event on the 29th and heavy
snow on the 31st. It was a warm first half of the month, and much cooler
in most of the second half. Precipitation was generally below normal. |
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| There were thirteen record high temperatures
tied or broken at twelve sites in January...mainly on the 6th. Check
out the records below. |
| Site |
Record
High (Date of Occurrence) |
| Batesville |
72T (01/06), 74T (01/29) |
| Calico Rock |
73 (01/06) |
| Conway |
73 (01/06) |
| Fayetteville |
72 (01/06) |
| Gilbert |
73T (01/06) |
| Harrison |
72 (01/06) |
| Jonesboro |
70 (01/06) |
| Fort Smith |
76 (01/06) |
| Mountain Home |
73 (01/06) |
| North Little Rock |
72T (01/06) |
| Ozark |
75T (01/06) |
| Texarkana |
77 (01/06) |
| Note:
"T" means record was tied. |
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The month began on a warm note, with temperatures in the
60s and 70s on the 6th. Instead of snow and ice, the focus was on severe
thunderstorms.
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In the picture: Severe weather reports on January 7-8, 2008. The graphic is courtesy
of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. |
| Numerous tornadoes (54 of them) were spawned on the 7th
and 8th across the central United States, with more than half of the
tornadoes in Missouri. The event mostly bypassed Arkansas, but not
entirely. There were six tornadoes in the state, with one tracking
through Pope and Conway Counties on the morning of the 8th. A man was
killed near Appleton (Pope County).
Toward the middle of the month, it began to cool off...with areas of
Arctic high pressure arriving from the Plains. At least a couple of
storm systems pushed moisture into the cold air, with freezing
rain/sleet (icing) in northern Arkansas on the 21st/22nd...and in
central and southern sections of the state on the
25th.
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It warmed up briefly the 28th/29th, but this was interrupted by a very
strong cold front. Just behind the front, winds shifted to the northwest
at 30 to 40 mph and gusts exceeded 50 mph. Trees and power lines were
downed, with some structural damage. |
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| In the picture:
Three hour pressure changes from 8 am CST to 2 pm CST on 01/29/2008.
Initially, there were pressure falls in Arkansas...with upward motion to
create clouds and a chance of thunderstorms. Strong pressure rises (over
10 millibars/3 hours) followed from the Plains, with sinking motion and
much colder/more stable air. Between falls and rises, there was an
extreme isallobaric (pressure tendency) gradient...leading to a lot of
wind across the region. |
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Cold air settled over the region to end the month. A storm
system tracked along the Gulf Coast on the 31st, with snow developing
north of the system. The snow was heavy at times toward the Missouri
border where accumulations exceeded 4 inches. |
| In the picture:
Snowfall on 01/31/2008. |
| Additional January Details |
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| For more details about
January, 2008...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation"
section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Temperatures averaged pretty
close to normal in January. Readings were above normal in the first half
of the month, and below normal in the second half. Readings at Little Rock
are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was generally below normal, especially in the
northwest half of the state. Amounts at Little Rock are shown to left. |
| To right, a look at precipitation across the state. |
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| For a look at actual temperatures and precipitation
in Arkansas as measured by the cooperative observer network, click
here. |
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www.weather.gov
