While Arkansans likely won’t have to worry about power failures or large amounts of freezing rain during this weekend’s wintry weather, they will have to brace for record and near-record low temperatures.
RELATED ARTICLE
http://www.arkansas…">Bone-chilling cold sweeps in
Meteorologists expect an inch or a couple of inches of snow in northern parts of Arkansas and a dusting of snow in the central region, but mostly, they said: It’s going to be cold.
Meteorologists warned that the wind will make the already low temperatures feel even colder.
In the upper Midwest, the National Weather Service has projected wind chills of minus 50 degrees or lower.
While Arkansas won’t be that cold, Northwest Arkansas residents can expect wind chills as low as minus 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa. Jonesboro will likely experience record low temperatures Monday of 6 degrees in the morning and 10 degrees for the day’s high, said John Sirmon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis.
“Extreme cold temperatures are what’s going to quickly become the main concern,” Sirmon said.
Sirmon recommended covering and insulating pipes to prevent freezing and making sure the antifreeze in vehicles is adequate. He also warned that people should be careful when attempting to provide their homes with extra heat.
Sirmon said to make sure space heaters are placed in the centers of rooms, away from any curtains or other objects that might easily catch fire. He also warned people not try to heat their homes by leaving on the stove, oven or an outdoor barbecue, because overuse of those items indoors can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
People often “get creative” to keep warm in temperatures this low, which can be risky, Sirmon said.
Temperatures will fall to the single digits by Monday in Randolph and Clay counties and near zero degrees Tuesday morning before rising later in the week, Sirmon said. Those counties are also expected to get 3-4 inches of snow today before the precipitation moves east.
Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department spokesman Randy Ort said workers were scheduled to pre-treat highways in northern Arkansas on Saturday night and continue to treat them until the storm passes.
“We’d much rather deal with just the snow,” rather than freezing rain or ice, Ort said. He said people should use “common sense” when thinking about traveling and advised people not to get out on the roads.
In Little Rock, temperatures will drop to about 10 degrees tonight, which is also when the storm system will leave the area, said Chris Buonanno, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.
The nonprofit Arkansas Dream Center has partnered with Little Rock to open a warming center at the Dream Center’s Little Rock location at 1116 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive for people who don’t have homes. The center will operate from 4 p.m. today until 1 p.m. Tuesday.
South Arkansas will only see rain or a few flurries, said Dan Byrd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss. He warned that Ashley and Chicot counties could experience near-record lows Monday night of 11 and 12 degrees.
“It is dangerously cold,” Sirmon said.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 01/05/2014