Winter Weather Storm-Snow in Arkansas 2011 with Pictures

The Weathermen had forecast snow for the central and southern part of the State of Arkansas for almost a week ahead. In Arkansas weather you really never know for sure what type of weather you will receive. A winter weather warning could mean snow, sleet or freezing rain. The weather snow maps began to show up on the local television networks a couple of days ahead of the snow event to prepare the people in the affected areas.

The forecast for southwest and south central parts of Arkansas was for an all snow event with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches possible. The local Weathermen in the Little Rock, Arkansas TV broadcast did leave room for the possibility for slightly higher amounts of accumulation depending on weather factors out of their control or ability to accurately forecast.

The arrival of the snow in south central Arkansas was projected to occur around the late afternoon to evening time. The snow was to end by early morning the next day and turn colder.

January 9, 2011 (1:15 pm)-The first snowflake is noticed outside of the living room window. The snow had arrived several hours ahead of the forecast schedule. For the next hour the very light snowfall appeared to be a sign of another year of a missed weather forecast for a snow event.

Attention was glued to the local weather channels KTHV (Today’s THV), KATV and KARK for weather updates. Even the Weather Channel was watched to see when the real snow event would begin.

The snow began to fall heavier finally and the ground was covered after a couple of hours. By the time daylight had passed the snow accumulation was approximately 3 inches on the ground. Then the heavier snow bands from the southwest began to move up into the area.

At 8 pm the snow accumulation had grown to 8 inches and the snow was still falling near Malvern, Arkansas, though at a much lighter pace. The highway traffic had slowed down drastically on the highway as the roads were covered with a snow slush that was making the roadways slippery. The snow tapered off and finally ended around 11 pm Sunday night except for maybe a few flurries throughout the night.

The next day the local weathermen had updated totals for snow accumulation in the southwest and south central parts of Arkansas. The new totals were shown to be from 8-10 inches average. In Arkansas this type of snowfall is a major event. It also makes for fun time to play in the snow and take great outdoor photos.

The morning was a wake up to glaring white covered scenery on a gray cloudy day. Everything was covered in a blanket of snow. Shrubbery was bent over due to the weight of the snow and tree limbs were sagging. The driveway and highway appeared the same as the front lawn. The snow had covered everything.

Small footprints in the snow by the squirrels were the only sign of activity outside at 8 am in the morning. A few Cardinals were seen flying between the barren oak trees. The highway was deserted and a tranquil quietness was in the air.

The weather wear gear had been taken from the closet the night before. It was time for the winter thermals, coveralls and the heavy jacket to venture out into the winter wonderland in Arkansas. The first order of business this winter morning was the pot of coffee. The next step was getting properly dressed and the camera to take pictures of the rare Arkansas snow event.

The hand-made wooden swing makes for a great place to relax on most days. Perfectly settled underneath the pin oak trees is a seating for a cool break when the weather is warm or hot. The weather treated wood and surface coating protects the swing from harsh winter elements. It also makes for great winter pictures when covered by snow.

The driveway and the landscape alongside were blanketed by the snowfall. The shrubbery was bent over and the limbs had to be shaken to prevent damage to the plants.

Normally several species of birds are seen around the landscape area, but this morning it was very quiet. Not even the pesky squirrels are out getting into everything this cold wintry morning.

A beautiful snow covered scene. The lawn is a white blanket of snow. The Shrubbery is covered and weighed down. The tree limbs are bent from the weight of the snow on the branches.

The danger of heavy snow and Pine trees is the weight could cause the limbs to snap off and fall. This could cause great damage to houses, vehicles and power lines.

Here is a picture of a wintry snow scene in south central Arkansas in a rural community. A quiet scene before the traffic begins as the morning passes.

The rural roadways become treacherous by nightfall as the snow slush refreezes into a “black-ice.” Rural areas do not have street lighting and the invisible ice on the roadways is very dangerous.

The snow collected on everything it made contact with. The cold weather temperatures arrived a day ahead of the snow. The high for the day was in the upper 20’s.

The snow layer was close to 4 times as thick as the narrow side of these 2x4 wood railings on the deck.

With the daytime temperatures to remain at or just above the freezing point of 32 F. the snow will remain for several days or even a week.

Pine Trees covered with snow. The appearance make a wonderful scene the way the snow blankets on the branches of Pine trees.

The weight of the snow can cause the limbs to break and fall or even the pine tree to fall over if the weight is to one side or a wind blows through.

January brought the first winter storm to Arkansas with several inches of snow. February 5th brought round two of the winter snow. This time the snow was only a few inches and caused less problems with the roadways. The snow event did give opportunities for more snow pictures.

Winter 2011 is making a mark on the State of Arkansas. Winter snow storms keep plowing through the state and dumping snow setting state records. Today’s winter snow was forecast a week ago. The snow amounts were the only uncertainty until the snow storm actually hit the state.

The northwest corner of Arkansas had snow accumulation totals up to 2 feet in some locations. The central and south central parts of Arkansas saw snow totals around 4-6 inches. Here in south central Arkansas we saw the 6 inch snow.

All pictures were taken with a Cell Phone Camera. Photo editing was accomplished with Microsoft PowerPoint program.