Winter weather advisory area expanded; winter storm warning set for 2 counties

This National Weather Service graphic details in purple the counties set to go under a winter weather advisory Thursday night or Friday morning. The counties in pink — Mississippi and Crittenden — will go under a winter storm warning.
This National Weather Service graphic details in purple the counties set to go under a winter weather advisory Thursday night or Friday morning. The counties in pink — Mississippi and Crittenden — will go under a winter storm warning.

4:40 p.m. UPDATE:

A winter weather advisory now covers all of northern Arkansas in addition to east and southeast parts of the state, and a winter storm warning is set for two counties.

The National Weather Service added the Northwest Arkansas advisory on Thursday afternoon, noting that a "light glaze" of freezing drizzle could cause roads to turn slick there. That advisory runs through 9 p.m.

Advisories in other parts of the state run Thursday night into Friday morning and note possible light accumulations from precipitation that will start as rain before transitioning into a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.

Two counties in eastern Arkansas — Mississippi and Crittenden — are under a winter storm warning beginning midnight Thursday. That warning says the are can expect up to 2 inches of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice.

1:50 p.m. UPDATE:

More counties in Arkansas are now set to go under a winter weather advisory as a system brings a wintry mix to the region.

The National Weather Service previously had set more than two dozen counties in north, northeast and eastern Arkansas to go under a winter weather advisory Thursday night into Friday morning. Light snow, sleet and freezing rain were all said to be possible.

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Graphics by the National Weather Service

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., the weather service said Arkansas, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Monroe and Prairie counties will also go under an advisory from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday.

"A change from rain to freezing rain will occur in southeast Arkansas toward dawn Friday, with the onset of sleet and snow quickly following," the weather service wrote, noting one to two hundredths of freezing rain is expected before a dusting a sleet and snow.

The Weather Service said rain is expected change to freezing rain around 6 p.m. in Northwest Arkansas and then to sleet around two to three hours later.

"This will gradually shift to eastern Arkansas by around midnight," forecasters wrote in the advisory notice on Thursday morning.

9:15 a.m. UPDATE:

A winter weather advisory has been set for a large swath of Arkansas as a storm system brings the possibility of light sleet, freezing rain and snow to the region.

The advisory, which will be in effect from Thursday night into Friday morning, covers more than two dozen counties in northern and eastern Arkansas. All of them are north or east of the Little Rock metro area.

The National Weather Service said rain is expected change to freezing rain around 6 p.m. in Northwest Arkansas and then to sleet around two to three hours later.

"This will gradually shift to eastern Arkansas by around midnight," forecasters wrote in the advisory notice on Thursday morning, noting the wintry weather is mainly expected north of Jasper, Clinton, Heber Springs and Augusta.

While a wintry mix is also possible further south, the "impacts should be less noticeable," the weather service said.

The latest forecast calls for up to an inch of snow in northeast Arkansas with lesser amounts to the south and west. A larger part of northern and eastern Arkansas is expected to see up to 0.05 inches of ice. A smaller section of the state including Jonesboro and West Memphis could see up to 0.1 inches of ice, while Little Rock may get a minimal glaze, forecasters said.

Check back for the latest updates on the forecast.

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