ARKANSAS, USA — 2022 was another crazy year of weather for western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. We had a mix of it all, snow to tornadoes to hail to wind to drought and then to Arctic cold. Everyone was impacted by the weather in some way this year. These are the top weather stories of the year in 5COUNTRY.
For a look at what the rest of this current winter is looking like, tap HERE.
January: Snow day
Our first day of the year brought snow! A trace caused slick spots for the next morning, a sign of the coming top 10 snowiest winters in western Arkansas.
February: Heavy snowfall, National Guard deployed
Almost a foot of snow was dumped near the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Specifically, Fayetteville tied for the third snowiest February on record. The River Valley picked up a handful of inches.
March: Springdale EF-3 Tornado
March brought the biggest severe weather story of the year for 5COUNTRY as an EF-3 tornado struck Springdale, wiping out the gymnasium at George Elementary and flattening the Nilfisk plant by the Springdale Municipal Airport.
April: Hail storms
Spring 2022 brought numerous hailstorms to western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Lots of damage from broken windshields to damaged roofs were reported.
May: Hail storms cont., flooding in NWA
The hailstorms continued. In fact, by May, Arkansas had the most hail reports by land area out of any state.
On May 5, more than 60 people were rescued from floodwaters in Washington County. That same day, Tontitown Mayor Gene McCartney signed an emergency declaration after heavy rains and storms caused floodwaters to rise in the city.
June: River Valley flooding
Rainstorms brought flooding, especially to the River Valley. Little did we know that was going to be the last rainfall for many months.
July: Extreme heat & flash drought
July brought many weather stories, but the biggest was a windstorm that knocked out power and water to the city for days. July also brought a 20-acre wildfire at Fort Chaffee that was stopped right before potentially consuming many homes in Greenwood.
This month also brought the onset of a flash drought. High heat and intense sun angles quickly dried up both Arkansas and Oklahoma, activating many burn bans across the region.
August: Drought cont.
The drought worsened as the heat continued.
September: Dry weather
More dry weather... Wildfires became numerous, especially throughout the River Valley. Many days had smoke in the air and a south wind carried the smoke to many backyards across Arkansas and Oklahoma.
October: Fall begins
The fall leaves began to change in October, but it was a gradual, dull change for the first part, thanks to a lack of rainfall. Some rain returned by the end of the month, helping to bring some last-minute color to the foliage.
November: Early winter
Winter came early with three to four rounds of light snow.
December: Arctic Arkansas returns
The state went below zero for the first time in almost two years as a powerful cold front hit most of the United States. Pipes burst with multiple reports of water damage across Arkansas and Oklahoma.
On some days and nights, hypothermia was possible in as little as 15 to 20 minutes thanks to tropical-storm-force winds coming from the north.
We ended 2022 with temperatures in the 60s and 70s across our area, but our next chance for storms will come Monday, Jan. 2, afternoon/evening.
The 5NEWS Weather Team looks forward to covering the weather where you live in 2023!
