Ice Storm '09

Our Backyard. August 2006.

The storm became visible Monday afternoon with ice starting to accumulate on cars. By late Monday night the weather seemed to be progressing like any other winter storm we've had since our arrival in Arkansas - speculation of intensity; a teaser. Turns out it was a creeper.

Early Tuesday morning (5:30AM early), I was awoken by my annoying vibrating phone announcing an incoming email, text, call or some other digital leash. I got a text followed by a voice mail followed by an email - sure, in that order. This was a first in getting notifications from the university via my phone. They all informed of a campus-wide closure on Tuesday.

It rained heavily Tuesday morning, then by early afternoon the precipitation had turned to freezing rain, then heavy freezing rain. By Tuesday evening, the weather moved on to sleet. Snow was to follow overnight. With at least 1/2 inch of ice accumulation on trees by Tuesday evening, the over-stressed trees synchronously (it seemed) began to bend until ultimately limbs began cracking, snapping and crashing down with a bang - mostly in the yard, but every 30 minutes or so a loud thud on the roof could be heard, alerting us to pause the movie and inspect. During one such inspection we discovered that one of the loud bangs was a felled tree in our backyard.

Tuesday evening. The first tree goes down.


Considering the neighborhood-wide cacophony of falling branches and trees, I rightly assumed that I would get another 5:30AM call announcing the closure of the university a second day. Sure enough, the text, voice mail, email barrage came on time and campus was closed on Wednesday. By this time, the storm had passed and we were left with destruction.

Wednesday morning. Two felled trees, two split trees.
"A Tree Graveyard"

The temperature on Wednesday hovered around 25F and kept things iced over throughout the day and overnight into Thursday morning. Surely, I thought, the university will be open on Thursday. Not so. The Thursday morning digital combination announced that the university will be closed on both Thursday and Friday.

By around 2PM, when the sun had warmed the temperature above freezing, I realized why the campus was closed for two more days. All the ice that was now packed in the trees, dangling on wires, or hanging around building edges had been formed into dangerous "ice daggers" waiting to fall on unsuspecting pedestrians. Throughout the day tree branches were still continuing to break, but now, with the weight of melting ice, 1 inch think sheets of ice were also smashing to the ground with the branches.

Thursday afternoon. The ice melts revealing lots of work and a new backyard.


Internet went down quick, around Tuesday afternoon and came back up Thursday afternoon, then was down again until Saturday evening. Power was out variously citywide. No roof damage and no car damage. Just a foreseeable giant bonfire and a new, less shady, backyard.

More photos at flickr.