A true Arkansas snowfall

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The climate experts agree that the earth underwent a cooling down period from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Part of that period was when I was in public schools in Atkins, Ark., and during that time, I remember several snowfalls each winter with some of them being significant. The kids always loved those because not only was school canceled, we got to play in the snow all day long as well as having snow ice cream to eat during our breaks.

It doesn't snow much in Arkansas anymore so I was looking forward to getting away from a week of below freezing temperatures in McCook to somewhat more balmy temperatures in Arkansas to celebrate Michael and Will's birthdays. But it wasn't meant to be.

The day before I landed, the high temp in Fayetteville was in the upper 60s. Landing late in the afternoon the next day, it was in the upper 30s and if you've never experienced temperatures in that range is the South, it's nothing like cold temperatures in Nebraska. Humidity in Arkansas is always so much higher than in Nebraska that moderately cold temperatures leave a chill in your body that literally goes to your core. So although the people who live there are accustomed to it, visitors aren't and I'm always having to explain to them why a resident of Nebraska is colder than they are when you combine the temperature with the wind and the humidity. So there wasn't much of a temperature change for me when I landed.

But that's only the beginning of the story. Yesterday, a Winter Storm Watch was issued for much of Oklahoma and the meteorologists in Arkansas were predicting at least a chance of snow here which Michael has not seen in three years. It snows much more often in Fayetteville where Will lives because its in the Ozark Mountain Range but very little snow, if any, ever falls in Russellville, which is located in the valley between the Ozark Mountains to the north and the Ouachita mountains to the South, so we still weren't expecting anything white to fall here.

That changed significantly Thursday morning when the Winter Storm Watch was extended into the entirety of northern Arkansas with accumulating snow accompanying the storm. The further north you are in the state, the higher the accumulation is expected to be with some areas along the Arkansas-Missouri border expecting 6 to 8 inches. Only one to two inches is predicted to fall in Russellville but that's more than enough for Michael who is a real snowbird.

So I leave the snows of Nebraska only to encounter the possible snows of Arkansas with one major difference. It doesn't snow in Arkansas, when it DOES snow, the same way it snows in Nebraska. Most Nebraska snowstorms are accompanied by strong winds which often puts us on the edge or in blizzard warnings. That means rather than the snow falling straight down, it's blown every which way by the wind and when it's over, it's hard to get an accurate reading of how much snow actually fell.

That's hardly ever an issue in Arkansas. Very little, if any, wind falls with Arkansas snows so it comes straight down and if you choose to take a walk outside while the snow is falling, it's one of the most peaceful experiences one can imagine. It's so quiet you can literally hear the snow falling on your coat and the beauty and majesty of it is truly something to behold.

So even though I'm not the snow lover I used to be when I was younger, to be able to enjoy a true Arkansas snowfall while I'm here with Linda making snow ice cream while the boys and I walk around through the softly falling snow outside is something I hope I get to experience one more time.