LITTLE ROCK — The morning commute for thousands of residents in central Arkansas was agonizingly slow as accidents snarled traffic.
Parts of Arkansas awoke to a coat of wet snow on the ground from a system that moved through overnight, but the scant amount of snowfall was already melting by 8 a.m.
Police, meanwhile, responded to numerous reports of wrecks on central Arkansas interstates and Little Rock streets. At least one school delayed its classes for the day and federal agencies in Little Rock were opening at 10 a.m.
As of 11 a.m., Interstate 30 was flowing smoothly in both directions, while Interstate 40 from Conway into Little Rock was moving at a crawl. In North Little Rock, traffic on southbound Main Street was clearing up after being at a standstill most of the morning. On Highway 67/167, an accident slowed traffic for about an hour, but by 10:10 a.m. southbound drivers were slow but moving.
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Little Rock snowfall
Little Rock received its first accumulating snowfall overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said many of the major highways in central Arkansas had ice patches on them while highways in the eastern part of the state had ice and slush on them.
Chuck Rickard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, said 2.2 inches of snow were recorded there. Reports were still coming in Wednesday morning, but he said much of the eastern half of Arkansas saw snowfall and would likely range from 1 to 2 inches of accumulation.
The snowfall had mostly ended in central Arkansas by 6 a.m., though it was continuing in eastern parts of the state, Rickard said. A winter weather advisory remained in effect until 10 a.m. for Mississippi, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis and Lee counties.
The snow generally stuck only to grassy areas and elevated surfaces - like bridges and overpasses - but Rickard warned motorists need to be careful because icy spots are possible on all surfaces until the sun warms temperatures later in the morning.
There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries in any of the wrecks.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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