Cold rain with some chance for sleet, snow expected

This screenshot from a National Weather Service map shows expected conditions at 5 a.m. Thursday.
This screenshot from a National Weather Service map shows expected conditions at 5 a.m. Thursday.

Two rounds of precipitation will bring mostly cold rain but a chance for sleet and snow, the National Weather Service said.

John Robinson, warning coordination meteorologist for the agency's North Little Rock office, said most of Arkansas will just see rain in the first round Wednesday into Thursday. The northernmost two rows of counties, however, could see some sleet and snow, "especially at the higher elevations," Robinson said in an email.

Then another system will bring more precipitation Friday into Friday night. It will largely be another batch of cold rain, but some wintry precipitation could be mixed in too — even in the Little Rock area.

"Northern Arkansas could see a bit of sleet or snow, and a little sleet cannot be ruled out even into parts of central Arkansas," Robinson wrote. "The difficulty with the forecast is that temperatures look to be only marginally cold enough for wintry precipitation and the vast majority of the moisture will stay south of where the coldest temperatures exist."

Robinson said forecasters don't expect the wintry precipitation will be enough to cause travel problems.

Rainfall amounts in the first system will range from 1/10 inch to 1/2 inch, while the second round is expected to deliver up to 1/4 inch in central and northern Arkansas, and an inch or more in the southeast.

Upcoming Events