In the pictures: Northwest flow aloft drove a cold front through Arkansas on 01/29/2023, followed by shallow cold air. The front stalled along the Gulf Coast the new few days. A southwest flow aloft ahead of a storm system in Arizona drove mild air over the front. This led to precipitation melting overhead and freezing near the ground (icy). A sounding (temperature, dewpoint, and wind profile with height) at North Little Rock (Pulaski County) at 600 pm CST on 01/31/2023 showed the setup beautifully, with snow falling through a melting layer and becoming freezing rain and sleet.
Less than a week after heavy snow blanketed the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, we were in for an icy mess to finish the month. Shallow cold air followed a cold front through the state on January 29th, and then the front stalled along the Gulf Coast. An approaching storm system from the southwest United States drove mild air over the front into subfreezing conditions in Arkansas. While it snowed overhead, it melted and then refroze near the ground. The result was sleet and freezing rain.
In the picture: This forecast model showed on and off freezing rain/sleet building southward through Arkansas with time as shallow cold air progressed toward the Gulf Coast. The data is courtesy of the College of DuPage.
Unfortunately, this icy scenario played out for several days as the southwest storm system took its time getting here, and the cold air did not budge. At first (on the 30th), the northern/central counties dealt with the ice, and then the southern counties got a taste of winter (on the 31st).
In the video: Heavy sleet/light freezing rain caused travel problems in northwest Arkansas on 01/30/2023. The video is courtesy of Brian Emfinger via Twitter.
One to two inches of sleet piled up near Bella Vista (Benton County) Dublin (Logan County), Greers Ferry (Cleburne County), just north of Mountain Home (Baxter County), Piggott (Clay County), Pocahontas (Randolph County), and Rogers (Benton County). Otherwise, there were quite a few locations in the northern two to three rows of counties with sleet totals between a half inch and an inch.
Due to hazardous driving conditions, a motorist lost control of a flatbed truck east of Avoca (Benton County). The truck flipped, and the driver (a 60-year-old man) was killed.
In the picture: A variety of winter headlines were posted across Arkansas at 400 pm CST on 01/30/2023. A Winter Storm Warning was in effect over the northern counties for heavy sleet, as well as light snow/light freezing rain. In central sections of the state, there was an Ice Storm Warning for significant ice due to freezing rain. Father south, the possibility of light freezing rain led to a Winter Weather Advisory.
As far as freezing rain, accruals of at least a quarter inch were noted at Cass (Franklin County), Chenal Valley (Pulaski County), Forrest City (St. Francis County), northeast of Greenwood (Sebastian County), Jonesboro (Craighead County), Marion (Crittenden County), north of Pine Ridge (Montgomery County), near Southside (Van Buren County), and West Memphis (Crittenden County).
Overall, significant accumulations of freezing rain were not widespread (through January 31st), and power outages were relatively few (less than 10,000).
Outside of Arkansas
As our event was unfolding, sleet and freezing rain were occurring in northern and central Texas. At Fort Worth, TX, 1.3 inches of sleet was tallied, and this was followed up by at least a quarter inch of glaze. Farther south, several spots had half to three quarter inch ice accruals between Killeen, TX and San Antonio, TX. Over 400,000 power outages were blamed on the ice (over 170,000 of these were in Austin, TX). At least seven fatalities were reported on Texas roadways.
Meanwhile, it snowed at Central Park in New York City, NY on February 1st. It was not much, but 0.4 inch of flakes accumulated. This was the latest first measurable snow since data collection began in 1869.
Finally, bitterly cold air poured into New England on the heels of our event. A staggering wind chill index of 108 degrees below zero was registered at Mount Washington, NH on February 3rd. It is believed this is the lowest wind chill on record in the country. Wind gusts topped 120 mph at times. On the 4th, the low temperature at Boston, MA was 10 below zero. Locally, this was the first double digit negative reading since 1957. Frostquakes (or cryoseisms) were reported in Maine as the frozen soil cracked suddenly and tremors were felt. Trees also split as sap rapidly froze and expanded.
In the video: Freezing rain turned this bridge along Interstate 40 (at MacArthur Drive) into a skating rink during the early evening of 01/31/2023. This led to accidents and stalled traffic. The video is courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
Roads turned into skating rinks (especially bridges and overpasses), with numerous accidents reported. Close to Forrest City (St. Francis County), several semi trucks were involved in an accident before dawn on the 31st that shut down Interstate 40 for eight hours and turned the highway into a parking lot.
In the pictures: Freezing rain was widespread across southern Arkansas at 300 am CST on 02/02/2023. Temperatures across the state were in the mid 20s to mid 30s. Almost 70,000 utility customers were without power as of 425 pm CST (courtesy of PowerOutage.us).
Things went downhill in a hurry south of Little Rock (Pulaski County) late on February 1st into the morning of the 2nd. One more round of freezing rain developed, and it was devastating.
In the picture: Snow/sleet totals were highest in northern Arkansas (accumulations of an inch or greater), and freezing rain totals were the most significant in central/southern sections of the state (accruals of at least a half inch) in the four day period ending at 600 am CST on 02/03/2023.
Nearly a half inch of glaze was measured on exposed objects in places (a bonafide ice storm) including Gillett (Arkansas County), Gurdon (Clark County), Rison (Cleveland County), Sheridan (Grant County), and White Hall (Jefferson County).
In the pictures: Significant accruals of ice brought down trees and power lines at Kingsland (Cleveland County) on 02/02/2023. The photos are courtesy of Charles Peek via Twitter.
The weight of the ice brought down trees, tree limbs, and power lines. Tree debris blocked many roads. At one point, there were at least 80,000 power outages. Fortunately, most reporting stations had temperatures above freezing by the afternoon of the 2nd (to thaw the ice), and a warming trend was in the forecast.
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