What is NWA's worst climate feature? (Little Rock, Fayetteville: home, tornado, living in)

[DougStark]

I'd like you locals to give me your opinion on your metro's worst climate aspect. Is it the summer heat/humidity, tornado risk, ice in winter?

I honestly don't know what climate feature I will dislike the most, but I have a hunch it will be the tornado risk (we have almost zero risk here in Phoenix.) Thanks!

[nmnita]

Doug, depending on where in AR you live the chance of a really damaging tornado really isn't that bad: if certainly can and does happen but not like No Texas and Ok for sure, just to mention a couple states. For us, the worst feature would have to be humidity. It is nothing like Texas or the deep south, but it is a reality and can be very high in mid summer. The good thing, our temps do not get that high if you live in the northern part of the state. La and Mississippi are the most humid places I have ever visited.

[Loveswater_outdoors]

Honestly to me after living in Louisiana, it's how long it is cold for. I got used to 80 degree Aprils and 70 degree Marches down there and up here its been high 40s into late April a couple times this year! I guess compared to some areas it isn't nearly as cold, but it is still frustrating to me. After living in "tornado alley" in Oklahoma, compared to that this area feels like it has a 0% chance for tornadoes. I know that is not true, but a couple people told me there hasn't been a real bad tornado hit the area since Fayetteville in the 1970s, and that the Boston Mountains are a natural barrier.

[Copymutt]

Watch out for those Haboobs, there increasing in frequency in the valley.
Here in SW Co. there is almost no severe heat,cold,snow,or other weather. Sounds boring doesn't it.
But, there is wildfire danger depending on your living in or adjacent to the drying forests.
Jim

[gunslinger256]

Originally Posted by Loveswater_outdoors

After living in "tornado alley" in Oklahoma, compared to that this area feels like it has a 0% chance for tornadoes. I know that is not true, but a couple people told me there hasn't been a real bad tornado hit the area since Fayetteville in the 1970s, and that the Boston Mountains are a natural barrier.

I sat through a talk by Dan Skoff the weather guy a few years ago and he mentioned that it is a myth that the mountains somehow block the tornado activity.

To me, the idea of mountains doing something to impede tornadoes from forming just feels right since OK and Eastern Ar tend to be flatter than NWA.

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by DougStark

I'd like you locals to give me your opinion on your metro's worst climate aspect. Is it the summer heat/humidity, tornado risk, ice in winter?

We moved here from the DFW area in N Tx. The summer heat and tornado risk aren't even remotely as bad as back there. The humidity is somewhat higher but not a biggie since the temp is much cooler.
The winter ice is worse but not a problem for us since we're retired and don't have to get out in it. We've been impressed with how proactive the city (Fayetteville in our case) deals with it, compared to those back in N Tx.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Loveswater_outdoors

Honestly to me after living in Louisiana, it's how long it is cold for. I got used to 80 degree Aprils and 70 degree Marches down there and up here its been high 40s into late April a couple times this year! I guess compared to some areas it isn't nearly as cold, but it is still frustrating to me. After living in "tornado alley" in Oklahoma, compared to that this area feels like it has a 0% chance for tornadoes. I know that is not true, but a couple people told me there hasn't been a real bad tornado hit the area since Fayetteville in the 1970s, and that the Boston Mountains are a natural barrier.

Have to agree somewhat with the coldness, but the last few years have been exception. I do love the more mild summers compared to say, Texas but this year winter seems to have lasted for 9 months.

Biscuitmom, I am surprised to hear you say the humidity is higher here than in the DFW area. We found it worse in Dallas. The summers started much sooner, of course the temps were much higher than here, but I am guessing so was the humidity levels. I guess we could research but why bother. The main reason we left DFW had to do with the humidity, as well as the heat.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by gunslinger256

I sat through a talk by Dan Skoff the weather guy a few years ago and he mentioned that it is a myth that the mountains somehow block the tornado activity.

To me, the idea of mountains doing something to impede tornadoes from forming just feels right since OK and Eastern Ar tend to be flatter than NWA.

I have heard the same thing as you say: it isn't true about the mountains, but as long as we don't have tornadoes I don't care if the mountains do or don't block them.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by gunslinger256

I sat through a talk by Dan Skoff the weather guy a few years ago and he mentioned that it is a myth that the mountains somehow block the tornado activity.

To me, the idea of mountains doing something to impede tornadoes from forming just feels right since OK and Eastern Ar tend to be flatter than NWA.

Well, the recent (April 13) Mountainburg tornado in Crawford County definitely put that theory down. That big wedge tornado rolled right through the heart of the rugged Boston Mountains and across I-49. It was rated an EF2, but probably only because there wasn't much for it to hit out there (the ratings are based primarily on damage to structures and such and Mountainburg's population is only 700 or so). Had that thing hit anywhere along 49 from Fayetteville up to Bella Vista it obviously would have been a much bigger story.

There was another EF2 rated storm down in Umpire, Howard County, in the Ouachita National Forest the same day. That was a large wedge tornado as well.

There's video of both of these twisters on YouTube. There's also YouTube videos of tornadoes and associated damage further east in the Ozarks over toward Gassville, Mountain Home and Mountain View, along with footage of infamous twisters such as the Mayflower/Vilonia monsters from a few years back closer to the Little Rock vicinity.

My point? Every square inch of Arkansas is primo tornado territory. Thinking your particular area won't get one because of this, that or the other just makes you all the less prepared and more susceptible to the damage they can do.

I'm 49 years old, and have been a weather enthusiast my whole adult life. In my opinion the worst tornado to strike the U.S. in my lifetime was the Joplin, MO tornado of 2011.......which hit only 40 miles north of the Arkansas state line.

[Tyryztoll]

As for the original question posed, obviously any answer would be subjective and debatable.......but I will offer that I personally think the "saddest" climate feature in Arkansas (NW or other) is whenever there's any sort of drought, as was the case back in '15 when we first fell in love with the state. Seeing so many water features either completely dried up or severely reduced was heart wrenching considering what they contribute especially to the Natural States aesthetics, to say nothing of the resources they provide. I posted once upon a time of how the sunlight on the water in Arkansas glimmers golden like no other sunlight I had ever seen....so when the water goes away an immensely special part of the Arkansas experience goes with it in my world. A drought can also hamper that wonderful shade of emerald green that covers Arkansas during the warm months. Oh man, how I miss it!

Fortunately, droughts are not as common as other weather phenomena that occur either more often or annually, and as such Arkansas gets to put its best foot forward most of the time.