Winter Weather

In addition to closing schools, grocery stores and government services due to the winter weather storm, Arkansas services related to the pandemic, such as testing and vaccinations, are also either slowing down or have temporarily stopped.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the fewer than 200 new COVID-19 cases announced Tuesday "not very significant" because of a reduction in tests caused by the snow that began hitting the state Sunday night.

Arkansas is expected to receive another four to eight inches of snow across the state Wednesday night, forecasters say, but the end is near. Heavy snowfall during the day caused widespread traffic disruptions, including Interstate 40 being closed at times in central and eastern Arkansas because of multi-vehicle accidents.

Meteorologist Dennis Cavanaugh with the National Weather Service says the southern and central part of the state will continue to receive snowfall, but it won’t be as widespread as what has been experienced since Sunday night.

Arkansas utility companies are asking people to conserve electricity usage as the state braces for another round of winter weather. Companies say heavy snowfall and unusually cold temperatures have prompted many consumers to use a substantial amount of natural gas and electricity to stay warm in their homes.

Melody Daniel, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, says lowering thermostats to within the 60 to 65 degree temperature range will help conserve power.

Single-digit wind chills, freezing water in pipes and troughs, and high snow loads on roofs are causing concerns for poultry and cattle operations, specialists from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said Monday.

The record-setting storm front that stretches from Texas to Maine has caused millions to lose power as snowfall totals and bitter cold ravage almost half the country, according to the National Weather Service.

Though Arkansas is not expected to see more winter precipitation until Sunday, below freezing temperatures in the next couple of days still pose a danger to the state’s roadways.

Temperatures in Arkansas are expected to swing from well above average to well below average after a powerful cold front moves through the state. After reaching a high near 70 degrees in Little Rock on Monday, John Lewis, senior forecaster with the National Weather Service, says temperatures Tuesday are expected to be cold enough to bring a wintry mix to the area.