Forecasters 'highly confident' in snow accumulation in state; highway agency prepared, official says

The National Weather Service projected the areas where four or more inches of snow might fall this weekend in Arkansas.
The National Weather Service projected the areas where four or more inches of snow might fall this weekend in Arkansas.

6 P.M. UPDATE:

Dennis Cavanaugh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, said a high impact winter storm is likely for people living near the Arkansas-Missouri border.

"We are highly confident that significant snow and possibly some ice accumulations will occur, but where this occurs is a point of very low confidence at this time," Cavanaugh said. "There is a razor-thin margin on the southern end of this storm system where everything will fall as rain compared to where significant wintry precipitation will occur."

Cavanaugh said the placement of the wintery storm will likely vary in the days to come.

"Overall confidence is increasing in an accumulating winter weather event across the northern third of Arkansas," Cavanaugh said. "There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding how far south accumulations of wintry weather will make it, because we know for sure that there will be a sharp cut off from significant accumulations to hardly any at all."

The National Weather Service said in a release that the agency expects widespread rain showers across Arkansas on Friday as temperatures drop from the northeast to southwest. This may cause rain to change over to freezing rain, then to sleet and snow Friday night into Saturday morning. A wintry mix may continue through Sunday morning, the release states.

— Stephen Simpson

1:25 P.M. UPDATE:

A storm system moving through Texas and Oklahoma during the week is expected to bring wintry precipitation to parts of Arkansas beginning Friday and through part of the weekend.

Northern Arkansas is most likely to experience winter weather conditions with a smaller chance for snow or freezing rain to the south, said Joe Goudsward, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

Southern Arkansas can expect only rain, but central Arkansas may experience rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow, the weather service said.

Accumulation there is less likely, however.

Goudsward stressed that the forecast is likely to change as the system moves closer to Arkansas.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation is also keeping its eye on the weather, said Danny Straessle, spokesman for the department. Though it is too early for them to commit to a plan, he said the department has brine, salt, plows and other tools in case they are necessary.

"Whatever we need to do, we can do it," Straessle said. "We're just ready to go."

— Josh Snyder

This National Weather Service graphic details the confidence forecasters have in different parts of the state seeing accumulating wintry weather this weekend.
This National Weather Service graphic details the confidence forecasters have in different parts of the state seeing accumulating wintry weather this weekend.

EARLIER:

OKLAHOMA CITY — A strong cold front followed by a storm system is expected to bring snow and freezing rain to Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas later this week.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday the front will move across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles late Wednesday and on Thursday as it pushes south and eastward, then the storm system will likely follow on Friday and Saturday.

The weather service says many uncertainties remain, including the timing, locations and types and amounts of precipitation.

In Arkansas, the agency said it has higher confidence in accumulating wintry precipitation in roughly the northern third of the state.

The system is moving into the region after storms last weekend resulted in at least two tornadoes in northeast Oklahoma and three in western Arkansas.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker each declared states of emergency in areas of Oklahoma affected by the storms.

— The Associated Press

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