Northwest Arkansas residents and utilities are preparing for another wintery blast this week, a year after an ice storm crippled the region for days.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa is predicting 4 inches to 8 inches of snow and sleet will start falling Thursday morning in Northwest Arkansas and east Oklahoma.
The heaviest accumulations are expected Thursday evening into Friday morning, according to the weather service. Up to 10 inches of ice and snow are predicted for an area northwest of Bentonville.
After the snow and ice, bitterly cold temperatures and high winds are expected, which could knock power out in areas that were hardest hit last year.
An ice storm struck north Arkansas in late January 2009 and causing power failures that lasted weeks in some rural areas. The National Weather Service is advising residents to be prepared again for long stretches of power failures.
Area utilities said they are watching the forecasts and making contingency plans for more power failures, including stocking up on equipment, supplies and meals for workers in the field.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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