Tracking a Winter Storm; Unusual Early-Season Heat Wave in the Southwest

A major winter storm will organize across the Northern Plains today and then rapidly strengthen as it moves into the Great Lakes on Sunday. Heavy snow and blowing snow are likely to persist over the Great Lakes into Monday night. Dry and gusty winds will produce a critical fire risk across the central/southern Plains. An early heatwave will begin to intensify over the western U.S. into next week. Read More >

Overview

An upper-level plume of Pacific moisture, a shallow layer of dry air near the surface, and a vigorous upper-level disturbance combined to produce a widespread area of wintry precipitation across the northern sections of the Four State Region. The precipitation began across East Texas late Monday night (February 4th) and overspread the rest of the region on Tuesday, February 5th. The temperature profile was just cold enough for the precipitation to fall mainly as snow north of a line from Pittsburg, TX, to along the Louisiana and Arkansas border. South of this line, the precipitation fell as a very cold rain with only a brief period of snow or sleet observed as far south as the Interstate 20 corridor. Snow amounts ranged from a relatively narrow band of 1 to 3 inches to a snow swath of 3 to 6 inches across Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, and extreme Northeast Texas. The heaviest snowfall fell over the Red River Valley of Northeast Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, and Southwest Arkansas, where 6 to 9 inches of snow fell.

Graphics & Photos

Snowfall map from February 5th, 2002.

Seven and a half inches of snow on a car hood in Ashdown, AR.

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Tracking a Winter Storm; Unusual Early-Season Heat Wave in the Southwest

February 5, 2002: Snow Strikes the Area