In mid-January 2024, a bitterly cold Arctic outbreak plunged into the southern Plains and Ozarks, sending daytime temperatures near zero and driving wind chills between 20 and 30 degrees below zero. The cold air arrived on the 12th and 13th, setting the stage for a widespread winter storm as an upper-level disturbance pushed eastward on January 14. Snow began spreading into eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas by midday on the 14th. The air mass was cold and deep enough to support all snow, which continued through the evening hours. Eastern Oklahoma picked up around four inches, while northwest Arkansas saw a heavier swath of accumulation. Much of Benton, Carroll, Washington, Madison, Crawford, and Franklin Counties measured 4 to 6 inches, with locally higher totals. In the higher terrain, the storm was particularly impressive: 7 inches fell at Deer in Newton County, 7.5 inches in the Lower Buffalo Wilderness of Marion County, and 8 inches near Culp in Baxter County. Even in towns like Jasper and Harrison, 4 to 5 inches were common. Across southern Missouri, the Arctic air settled in with high temperatures around zero on the 13th, accompanied by dangerously cold wind chills. When the snow arrived on the 14th, accumulations were lighter than those farther south but still widespread. Most of the Ozarks received 1 to 4 inches—enough to coat roads and lead to numerous school closures. Totals included 4 inches near Goodman in McDonald County, 2 to 3 inches in Barry, Newton, and Oregon Counties, and around an inch or less in places like Springfield, Nixa, and Mansfield. Stone County reports ranged from a dusting to just over 2 inches, with social media noting 2.3 inches at Kimberling City. Farther east in southeast Missouri, a pair of snow waves brushed the region. The first, on the afternoon and evening of the 14th, dropped 1 to 2 inches across Stoddard, Ripley, and Wright Counties, with a second wave the following morning adding another inch in spots. By the time the system moved out on the 15th, the Ozarks and northern Arkansas were blanketed in fresh snow, with the heaviest totals concentrated over the higher terrain of the Arkansas Boston Mountains and Ozark Plateau. The combination of snowfall, dangerous cold, and hazardous travel left a lasting mark on the mid-January cold snap of 2024
