LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- What we have experienced over the past week will go down in the record books as a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. We have cold weather like this, and snow amounts like this before, yes, but never have we had the combination of historic cold and snow witnessed from February 10th-18th.
Earlier this week, we mentioned that temperature records were shattered but as we have wrapped up our second snowstorm, numbers reveal the significance of these storms.
As of 2 PM, Thursday, Little Rock has recorded 11.8″ of snow from storm #2. There is 0.02″ of liquid that is not accounted for in the current total that happened after midnight. This could bring that final count to 12″ but we must wait until the National Weather Service calculates the final total. Even then, 11.8″ is significant.
When you combine 11.8″ with storm #1, you get a 20.2″ total between the two storms and a 20.3″ total for the Winter Season.
To put this amount of snow into more perspective, the normal annual snowfall that is based on a 30-year average from 1981-2010 is 3.5″. If you do the math, that means we nearly SIX years worth of snow in the span of a week!
Below are the records that were broken and the significance of these values in other aspects for Little Rock:
All-time Snowiest Day in February:
| Rank | Date | Amount |
| 1 | 02/17/2021 | 11.8″ |
| 2 | 02/23/1966 | 8.5″ |
| 3 | 02/18/1921 | 8.2″ |
| 4 | 02/08/2010 | 7.2″ |
| 5 | 02/17/1910 | 6.1″ |
Snowiest 24-Hour Period in February:
Note: A 24 hour period can cover the span of two days. If snow started at 9 am one day, the 24-hour period would span through 9 am the next day.
| Rank | Date(s) | Amount |
| 1 | 02/17/2021 | 11.8″ |
| 2 | 02/18-02/19 1921 | 11.2″ |
| 3 | 02/22-02/23 1966 | 9.6″ |
| 4 | 02/08/2010 | 7.2″ |
| 5 | 02/16-02/17 1910 | 7.0″ |
Snowiest 24-Hour Period On Record:
| Rank | Date(s) | Amount |
| 1 | 01/17-01/18 1893 | 13.0″ |
| 2 | 01/06-01/07 1988 | 12.4″ |
| 3 | 03/06/1875 | 12.0″ |
| 4 | 02/21/2021 | 11.8″ |
| 5 | 01/05/1960 | 11.3″ |
Snowiest February On Record:
| Rank | Year | Amount |
| 1 | 2021 | 20.3″ |
| 2 | 1921 | 13.1″ |
| 3 | 1905 | 9.9″ |
| 4 | 1979 | 9.8″ |
| 5 | 1966 | 9.6″ |
Snowiest Months On Record:
| Rank | Date | Amount |
| 1 | Feb. 2021 | 20.3″ |
| 2 | Jan. 1918 | 20.0″ |
| 3 | Jan. 1988 | 13.6″ |
| 4 | Feb. 1921 | 13.1″ |
| 5 | Jan. 1893 | 13.0″ |
Snowiest Years On Record:
| Rank | Year | Amount |
| 1 | 1960 | 32.6″ |
| 2 | 1966 | 21.8″ |
| 3 | 2021 | 20.3″ |
| 4 | 1918 | 20.2″ |
| 5 | 1880 | 17.2″ |
Snowiest Meteorological Winter (December- February) Seasons On Record:
| Rank | Season | Amount |
| 1 | 1917-1918 | 26.8″ |
| 2 | 1965-1966 | 21.6″ |
| 3 | 1959-1960 | 21.2″ |
| 4 | 2020-2021 | 20.3″ |
| 5 | 1909-1910 | 16.9″ |
Snowiest Snowfall Seasons (July 1- June 30) On Record:
| Rank | Season | Amount |
| 1 | 1917-1918 | 26.8″ |
| 2 | 1959-1960 | 26.6″ |
| 3 | 1965-1966 | 21.6″ |
| 4 | 2020-2021 | 20.3″ |
| 5 | 1880-1881 | 19.0″ |
Highest Snow Depth On Record:
| Rank | Year | Amount |
| 1 | 1918, 2021 | 15″ |
| 2 | 1988 | 13″ |
| 3 | 2012, 1893 | 10″ |
| 4 | 1921 | 9″ |
| 5 | 2000 | 8″ |
In addition to this, we could break two additional record lows over the next two days.
The record low for Friday, February 19th is 17°F set back in 1910. The Arkansas Storm Team is forecasting a low of 7°F tonight which will easily break the current record.
The record low for Saturday, February 20th is 20°F that was set back in 1929 & 1936. The Arkansas Storm Team is forecasting a low of 10°F tonight which will easily break the current record.
The reason for the lows being so easily broken is because of the snow that is still expected to be on the ground. When you have a clear sky overnight with snow on the ground, this can allow for efficient radiational cooling and get those temperatures down.
