Snow, 'brutally cold air' in forecast for most of Arkansas

National Weather Service forecast as of 2:43 p.m. Monday.
National Weather Service forecast as of 2:43 p.m. Monday.

5:45 p.m. update:

The latest National Weather Service forecast shows a winter storm moving south and hitting central Arkansas between 7 and 9 p.m. Monday.

Light snowfall is predicted to continue across the northern part of the state through Monday evening, adding 1 to 2 inches to what's already accumulated, forecasters said.

But central and southeast Arkansas are expected to see the most snow in the state, where it could total up to 4 inches. Precipitation could start out briefly as a wintry mix, but snow will develop quickly, according to meteorologists.

The service noted in a statement that the amount of snow for cities including Little Rock, Hot Springs, Searcy and Newport is still uncertain. These areas may see the expected accumulation or very little, experts wrote.

"Brutally cold air" is also forecast for Tuesday morning and expected to continue through Thursday. Much of the state is predicted to see temperatures in the teens and lower 20s, with wind chill values in the single digits to teens. Wind chill values across northern Arkansas are forecast to range from below zero to as low as -20 Tuesday morning, with actual temperatures in the single digits to zero degrees, meteorologists said.

However, "quite a bit" of sunshine is expected later in the day Tuesday, which could provide melting even if temperatures remain at or below freezing. That also means an increased risk for black ice to form when temperatures plummet Tuesday night, according to the weather service.

Check back with Arkansas Online for updates on this developing story and read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Rachel Herzog

3:30 p.m. update

While forecasters believe about 3 to 4 inches of snow will fall across the southern part of Arkansas in the next 12 hours, "significant uncertainty" still remains about how much will accumulate in the Little Rock area.

In a statement, Dylan Cooper of the National Weather Service's North Little Rock office wrote that predicting the total snow along the Interstate 30/I-40 corridor has "proven very tricky." Forecasters expect 3 to 4 inches of snow in southern and southeastern Arkansas, and a sharp cutoff with less precipitation north of that area, near the corridor.

"If there is any real 'bust' potential with the snow totals high or low, this is the area where we are most concerned," Cooper wrote.

The weather caused two school districts to close early Monday in northwest Arkansas and prompted Southern Arkansas University to announce it would not be open Tuesday.

The Outlets of Little Rock also said it will close early Monday, at 7 p.m., in anticipation of the snow.

— Jillian Kremer

2:20 p.m. update:

Crews have been preparing the state's roads for the impending snowfall, Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle said Monday. The work is primarily taking place in central and southern Arkansas.

Major routes such as Interstate 40 and I-30 will be treated with salt brine first, followed by secondary highways — including Little Rock's Cantrell Road and Stagecoach Road — and then smaller roads, Straessle said. Workers are taking on 12-hour shifts around the clock, he added.

"We're waiting for Old Man Winter to show up," Straessle said.

— Rachel Herzog

Noon update:

Central Arkansans can anticipate snow after sundown, according to the National Weather Service, and parts of northern Arkansas have already received wintry precipitation, affecting roads and schools.

Flakes will begin to fall between 6 and 8 p.m. in the central part of the state and continue overnight, meteorologist Michael Brown said. The snowfall might start out as rain or sleet, he noted.

The expected total is about 1 inch in the Little Rock metro area, but southern Pulaski County will see more snow, for a total of about 2 inches, Brown said. Almost no accumulation is expected in the northern part of the county.

Temperatures in Little Rock will stay in the teens for the next three days and won't top freezing until Thursday, meaning the snow central Arkansas receives will likely stick, according to the weather service.

"The snow will be around for a few days," Brown said.

Brown advised residents to check the state transportation department's website, IDriveArkansas.com, to keep up with road conditions and closures. He also said to keep an eye out for overpasses and bridges, which tend to be the most dangerous.

Southern Arkansas is predicted to see the highest amounts of snow in the state, with totals of about 3 inches expected from Texarkana to the southeast corner of the state.

Parts of northern Arkansas are already under a winter weather advisory and have snow on the roads, Brown said. The region saw a few inches fall Sunday and got 2 more Monday morning, he added. The precipitation there is forecast to stop Monday afternoon.

In northwest Arkansas, the Bentonville and Rogers school districts closed at noon Monday due to the weather, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The Pea Ridge and Fayetteville districts canceled athletic events.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation's website showed multiple northern counties with slush or snow on highways as of noon Monday.

— Rachel Herzog

10:20 a.m. update:

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service reduces the amount of snow central Arkansas will see, but it calls for 2 to 3 inches in southeast Arkansas.

The new data from the weather service's office in North Little Rock has Little Rock and much of central Arkansas in an area expected to get an inch of snow. Earlier forecasts called for a little more than 2 inches.

The snowfall is expected to begin Monday night and continue into Tuesday. Most of Arkansas is set to go under either a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning as the system moves in.

— Gavin Lesnick

6:56 a.m. update:

Much of the state will go under a winter storm warning or advisory today as a system moves in, bringing the potential for 2 to 4 inches of snow for central and southern Arkansas, the National Weather Service said.

In north Arkansas, a winter weather advisory was already in effect for light snow expected on Monday morning. Accumulations will generally be under an inch there during the morning, the weather service said.

Hours later, an arctic front will bring "much colder air and very good chances of snow with it."

"There could be some mixed precipitation initially but the colder air will quickly change any mix over to just snow fairly quickly," the weather service said in a statement shortly before 7 a.m. "The greatest impacts are expected to extend from southwest Arkansas and into east central sections of the state where a winter storm warning is in effect."

The agency said widespread snow totals of 2 to 4 inches in those regions "seem likely with locally higher amounts." And it noted that travel impacts are likely.

Officials expect about 2.2 inches of snow in Little Rock, according to the latest forecast.

The snow will taper off from north to south Monday night through later Tuesday morning. Below normal temperatures are expected through midweek.

— Gavin Lesnick

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