Temperatures are expected to drop by more than 40 degrees this evening as a blast of cold, Arctic air hits the state, bringing blustery winds, storms and a chance for snow, forecasters said.
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The northern half of Arkansas is forecast for a dusting of snowfall, and Northwest Arkansas could see three-quarters of an inch of snow, said National Weather Service meteorologist John Lewis.
"People will be amazed," Lewis said. "Little Rock may go from 72 degrees in the afternoon to 25 degrees overnight."
Temperatures in Harrison are projected to fall from 57 degrees this afternoon to 10 degrees early Sunday morning, and Jonesboro residents will watch as the mercury falls from a high of 68 degrees this afternoon to 22 degrees tonight.
The temperature plunge is the result of a strong dip in the Arctic jet stream that will bring the frosty air farther south. Temperatures already have dropped 20 to 30 degrees below normal in the Midwest and eastern U.S.
Wind chills of 20 to 30 below zero were recorded in North Dakota, Maine and Minnesota on Friday, the Weather Service reported.
The wind chill is a calculation that describes the combined effect of wind and low temperatures on exposed skin.
The weather service issued wind-chill advisories for the northern tier of the state Sunday morning. The wind chill is predicted to drop to 5 degrees below zero in Fayetteville and four below zero in Harrison.
As a result of the frigid weather, Arkansas cities are preparing to open warming centers.
In Little Rock and North Little Rock, several churches and homeless outreach programs will open during the freezing weather. Second Baptist Church at 222 E. 8th St. in Little Rock and the Levy Church of Christ at 5124 Camp Robinson Road in North Little Rock will open at 7 p.m. today.
Little Rock also encourages people to go to any of its four community centers if they need a warm place to stay during the day.
Little Rock spokesman Jennifer Godwin said street crews are on standby in case of ice or snowfalls this weekend.
The Jonesboro Salvation Army has brought in more cots for an expected increase in visitors tonight, said Lt. Curtis Sadler, commander of the facility.
"We are expecting an influx of people as the temperature gets colder," Sadler said. "We'll bring in more staff as needed to help."
In Northwest Arkansas, officials weren't expecting cold weather to last long enough to warrant opening any emergency shelters.
Mike Dixon, director of the Benton County Office of Emergency Management, said his office will monitor weather reports, but the immediate forecast calls for warmer temperatures to quickly replace the weekend chill.
"Because we're not expecting any prolonged cold, we don't have any plans to open any warming shelters at this point," he said. "If things change, we will change our plans."
The Washington County Office of Emergency Management is also providing information to first responders and to residents about cold temperatures.
The Salvation Army emergency shelters in both Fayetteville and Bentonville will remain open during the cold spell. Lindsey Strong with the Salvation Army said she expects an increase in those seeking shelter as the temperatures drop.
"We'll have people who may have been staying in their cars or living in tents who decide they don't want to do that," Strong said. "We see a massive increase when temperatures drop like this."
In Northwest Arkansas, agencies were preparing for a taste of snow, but were unsure of how big a bite they were going to get.
Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department District 9 engineer Steve Lawrence said any snow that falls during the evening will probably blow off roads and bridges. Still, he said he planned to have crews out early today to pretreat overpasses.
Fred Mullen, coordinator of the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management, urged people to keep a full tank of gasoline in their vehicles and stock up on food and batteries at home in case wintry weather gets bad.
"Citizens just get caught off guard," he said.
Information for this article was contributed by Dave Hughes and Chelsea Boozer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
State Desk on 12/17/2016