Much of Arkansas will begin to see some snowfall beginning midday Thursday, with roads expected to be affected for several days.
The National Weather Service says a wide swath of western and central Arkansas, extending from Little Rock to Hot Springs and Mena, could see as many as 10 inches of snow by Friday afternoon.
Meteorologist Joe Goudsward says central Arkansas could see a brief preview of the winter weather beginning Thursday morning.
“We are expecting a little bit of flurry activity and maybe a few snow showers in the morning… however, it looks like that will stop,” Goudsward said. “It looks like the main precipitation starts to come in late afternoon into early evening, say 3:00, 4:00 over western sections of central Arkansas and spreading to the east, continuing for most of Thursday night into Friday.”
While temperatures are expected to go above freezing over the weekend, Goudsward says it may take several days for roads to be fully clear.
“Temperatures at night are still going to be very, very chilly, so whatever melting we do see, and if any of that water is left on area roadways, it’s going to re-freeze,” he said. “The main roads will be treated first, but any secondary neighborhood roads, it could be quite a while as that freezing and thawing cycle continues.”
Snowfall is expected to taper off Friday afternoon in central Arkansas. Southern parts of the state can expect to see more freezing rain and sleet, while Northwest Arkansas will see slightly less snowfall than the central part of the state.
The City of Little Rock says workers will pre-treat and clear roads in continuous, 12-hour shifts beginning Thursday. Crews will focus first on nine designated snow routes before moving on to side streets, with a total of 17 trucks clearing and pre-treating roads.
The Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District and Pulaski County Special School District will all be closed Thursday and Friday. The city’s emergency shelter at the Dunbar Community Center will be open Wednesday from 6 p.m. until 9 a.m. Thursday, and will likely transition to 24-hour operation beginning Thursday afternoon.
