Across the 20th and 21st centuries, the University of Arkansas has canceled classes due to snowfall about 70 times for full days and another 24 partial closings, either a late start to classes or an early dismissal.
That averages out to slightly more than one day of missed classes per year since the first closing occurred in 1968. It’s not that Fayetteville and the university hadn’t seen heavy snowfalls before.
In 1880, for instance, a foot of snow fell in Fayetteville in mid-November while crops were still in the fields. The temperatures dropped to zero degrees Fahrenheit, according to newspaper reports. Classes at the Arkansas Industrial University, however, continued as normal.
Other major snows during the first half of the 20th century included:
- 8.6 inches, April 1933
- 8.1 inches, November 1934
- 6.2 inches, February 1944
- 6 inches, March 1948
The difference between 1880 and 1968, though, was a matter of geography, weather and population.
First UA Closing
The University of Arkansas’s first known closing for snow occurred overnight on March 10-11, 1968, with classes called off March 11-12, in part reflecting a record heavy snow — more than a foot overnight.
Equally important, though, were a shift in residential location and the growth of the campus population.
The old-style residential campus, in which nearly all students and faculty lived on or near campus and could walk to campus, shifted to a higher number of commuters traveling by motor vehicle from farther and farther away as the university and city grew in size of student body, faculty and staff. More people lived farther away from campus and traveled to attend classes. Calling on them to travel to campus during a snow event became more dangerous with each year of growth.
By 1968, student enrollment had climbed above 10,000 students.
The Northwest Arkansas Times reported that a Springdale resident trying to get to work in Fayetteville left home at 5:30 a.m. but by 7 a.m. had to call his employer. He had only gotten 30 feet beyond his driveway so far.
Nearby Eureka Springs lost power, and a highway department’s snowplow east of there drove into a 17-.foot drift. “Gentry’s lone druggist, Dewey Johnson, rode a horse into town to open his prescription department,” the newspaper reported.
Shift to Safety
Since then, the university has cancelled classes about 63 times, or on average about once each winter. The average, though, belies recent history. Full-day closures have occurred 24 times over the last five years.
The university also shifted to a system of announcing early closures or late starts, relying on heightened reliability of forecasts, starting in 2013. The university has delayed start of classes 14 times and let classes out early six times. These closures occurred in part because of broader use of the Razorback Transit system and a need to recognize the point at which weather was likely to affect transits.
Weatherwise, a shift also occurred. A higher incidence of freezing rain and sleet began to emerge in the 21st century. The worst of these was the ice storm of Jan. 27-30, 2009, which caused power outages across the region. Tree limbs weighted down by a half-inch of ice snapped like fireworks going off on the Fourth of July.
They pulled down electrical lines and blocked streets across the region. Most of the university didn’t lose power, but the campus arboreta looked like war zones.
Weather Patterns
The two major patterns that affect North American weather are El Niño and La Niña, systems affected by warming and cooling of the Pacific Ocean.
Typically in La Niña years, we in Northwest Arkansas run into fewer heavy snows. The La Niña climate pattern tends to bring drier, warmer weather to the southeast United States.
No snow closings have occurred during years when La Niña had a large effect on the weather patterns, although a few closings have occurred just as a La Niña period was starting or ending.
This year’s La Niña pattern has been on the weaker end of its scale and may have already transitioned to neutral. In some measure, the 2026 snowstorm suggests that as well.
Cumulative Snow Per Calendar Year
SOURCE: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
The graphic above shows cumulative snowfall by year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 each year. The highest accumulation in a calendar year was 27 inches in 2010.
Cumulative Snow Per Winter Season
SOURCE: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Looking instead at the cumulative snowfall per winter season — essentially a July 1 to the next June 30 each year — the highs and lows are more apparent, especially since the new millenium, where highs and lows are swinging more dramatically.
And all that remains are the snowball fights and sledding.
Find Out More
The city of Fayetteville maintains three maps showing where plowing has occurred during winter weather as well as which streets have received salt-brine application prior to snowy weather and where salt-spreading has occurred.