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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 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| For much of January, the weather was uneventful. There was little precipitation through the first three weeks, and the fire danger increased. Winter took a break as the month began, with record warmth noted. Cold air returned in mid-January, and a major ice storm hit northern Arkansas as the month closed. |
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| There were five record high temperatures on January 3rd. Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record High (Date of Occurrence) |
| El Dorado |
79 (01/03) |
| Fayetteville |
74 (01/03) |
| Fort Smith |
79 (01/03) |
| Little Rock |
77 (01/03) |
| Texarkana |
79 (01/03) |
| Warm/Dry to Cold/Icy |
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| It did not feel much like Winter in early January. On the 3rd, temperatures soared into the 70s at most locations, and several records were set. |
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A brief cold spell set in on the 5th, and a storm system drove moisture from the Gulf Coast into the cold air. |
| In the picture: Ice covered street lights and road signs in Sherwood (Pulaski County) during the evening of 01/05/2009. |
| Widespread precipitation developed across the region. Temperatures were cold enough to support freezing rain and sleet across roughly the northern half of the state. Toward the Missouri border, very dry air prevented precipitation from reaching the ground. |
| 30 Hour Rainfall Through 12 pm CST on 01/06/2009 |
| Site |
Amount (Inches) |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
TRACE |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
TRACE |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
0.33 |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
0.06 |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
1.01 |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
1.35 |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
1.15 |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
1.17 |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
0.96 |
| Across the central third of Arkansas, up to a quarter of an inch of ice was enough to cause power outages. At least 10,000 customers lost power, mainly from Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Jonesboro (Craighead County) and West Memphis (Crittenden County). |
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| In the picture: The pattern at 900 am CST on 01/15/2009. Arctic high pressure ("H") brought very cold air from the north. |
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| Above normal temperatures returned and lasted into mid-January. On the 15th, the coldest air of the season spread into Arkansas from the north. By 8 am CST on that day, temperatures were in the 10s and 20s. There were breezy north winds, and this created wind chill indices below zero toward the Missouri border. There was some scattered light snow or flurries, with little or no accumulation. |
| Temperatures |
| Site |
Jan 15th (Afternoon High) |
Jan 16th (Morning Low) |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
17° |
11° |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
16° |
7° |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
23° |
11° |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
27° |
20° |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
29° |
14° |
| North Little Rock (C AR) |
26° |
13° |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
22° |
11° |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
38° |
19° |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
39° |
19° |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
31° |
20° |
| It warmed up again, and remained dry through the 25th. By that time, precipitation was one to three inches below normal for the month. |
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| In the picture: A grass fire charred the landscape near Newport (Jackson County) on 01/22/2009. Click to enlarge. |
| Dry conditions increased the fire danger across the state, and the number of county burn bans went up. Several grass fires were reported. Just outside of Newport (Jackson County), for example, a 15 acre grass fire burned two mobile homes, a couple of commercial trucks and a speedboat on the 22nd. Fortunately, nobody was injured. |
| Precipitation in January, 2009 (through the 25th) |
| Site |
Amount (Inches) |
+/- |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
0.06 |
-1.66 |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
0.30 |
-1.73 |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
0.51 |
-2.12 |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
0.08 |
-1.81 |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
1.10 |
-1.85 |
| North Little Rock (C AR) |
0.84 |
-1.92 |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
1.84 |
-1.32 |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
1.20 |
-1.71 |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
1.35 |
-2.65 |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
1.84 |
-1.80 |
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One more surge of cold air arrived on the 24th/25th. The setup was similar to the ice event earlier in the month, but was much more extreme. |
| In the picture: A convoy of utility trucks was headed into northern Arkansas along U.S. Highway 167 between Velvet Ridge (White County) and Pleasant Plains (Independence County) on 01/28/2009. Click to enlarge. |
| Abundant moisture translated into one to two inches of ice (and locally more) on trees and power lines across the northern two rows of counties. At least 350,000 customers lost power, and 30,000 utility poles were downed or snapped. As many as eighteen fatalities have been reported across the state. |
| Weather Conditions on 01/27/2009 |
| Below are some observations from a trained spotter located 3 miles north-northeast of Mountain Home (Baxter County). |
12:00 am CST...Moderate Sleet / Freezing Rain / Light Snow
3:00 am CST...Moderate Freezing Rain / Light Sleet
6:00 am CST...Heavy Freezing Rain
8:17 am CST...Heavy Freezing Rain and Thunder
Additional Note: Small branches breaking off, power brown outs, power lines lowering.
9:30 am CST...Light Freezing Rain and Thunder
12:00 pm CST...Light Freezing Rain
2:45 pm CST...Moderate Freezing Rain
Additional Note: Moderate limbs snapping, power failure.
4:00 pm CST...Moderate Freezing Rain
Additional Note: Moderate and large limbs snapping, restored power with brown outs.
6:00 pm CST...Moderate Freezing Rain
7:30 pm CST...Light Freezing Rain and Thunder
Additional Note: Very large limbs and whole trees snapping, total power failure.
9:00 pm CST...Heavy Freezing Rain
11:40 pm CST...Heavy Freezing Rain / Snow / Light Sleet
Additional Note: Very large limbs and trees snapping, power lines falling to the ground and on home. No power. Structural damage to home and shed. |
| Additional January Details |
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| For more details about January, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| While there were at least three surges of cold air in January, temperatures averaged a little above normal. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was mostly below normal, but was above normal in the northwest. 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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