While there is a chance of some winter weather this weekend (this blog posted 4-7-18), it is not the latest date that we have experienced any sort of winter precipitation. In fact, a few years ago in 2013, some of us saw some moderate snowfall and sleet during the early portion of the month of May. This is VERY rare, and not a common occurrence. Prior to this event, in reference to when certain record keeping began (1819), there had never been snowfall recorded in May. The latest recorded snowfall occurred on April 30th, 1903, in northern Arkansas. That obviously changed during May of 2013, and still stands as the latest snowfall ever recorded in our state.
Windshield covered in snow in Fayetteville (Washington County)
This was no "dusting" or "trace" of snowfall for some of us. Decatur (Benton County) saw nearly 5 inches of snowfall, some of the snow was heavy enough to break small tree limbs! Just to the south of Decatur however, Fayetteville saw 1.5 inches of snow. While even further south in Mount Ida (Montgomery County) only a trace of snow was recorded. Regardless of any amounts, this was a historic event.
Moderate snowfall rates in Washington County
So how and why did this happen? Isn't it supposed to be warm and stormy during May? Yes it is, but there was nothing warm about this weather pattern. The combination of an intrusion of unseasonably cold arctic air and a slow-moving storm system led to the historical snow. The storm system responsible for the snow had been blocked by a strong area of high pressure anchored across the Northeast and Atlantic Canada. As the moisture wrapped around the upper level low it encountered freezing temperatures. This combination of unseasonable cold air, and plentiful moisture led to the rare snowfall.
More Washington County snowfall accumulation
Aside from the rare snowfall that occurred, temperatures were also a huge story. This should not be a surprise, as freezing surface temperatures are usually needed for any sort of winter precipitation. The temperature bottomed out at 38 degrees in Little Rock, breaking the previous May record low of 39 degrees from May 1, 1903. Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Hot Springs and Pine Bluff are among the other locations that also set records for the all-time lowest May temperature.
Below are several more photographs from this rare and historic event:
Snow in Decatur (Benton County)
Snowfall at the University of Arkansas campus (Washington County)
Snowfall in Weddington (Washington County)
Ice collecting on flowers and plants in Springdale (Washington County)
We've also included a short video courtesy of 40/29 News showing video footage of the snowfall in Northwest Arkansas, you can view that below:
We hope you enjoyed this blog, we have always found this weather event to be one of our favorites due to just how rare it is. This is an event we may never experience again, we do live in Arkansas though, so never say never!
