3:16 P.M. UPDATE:
The National Weather Service has reduced the amount and scope of predicted snowfall across Arkansas for Tuesday.
Statewide, forecasters are predicting less than half an inch of snowfall, weather service meteorologist Jeff Hood said. The agency also trimmed additional portions of north and south Arkansas from those with the highest probability of seeing snow, he said.
Though forecasters predict any snow accumulation will likely be limited to grassy surfaces, state Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle said Tuesday’s weather may bring headaches for drivers.
“It doesn’t have to accumulate to cause challenges on the highway system,” he said.
Snow and sleet often prompt people to try to head home early, causing some potential congestion in peak times as the system moves through, according to the spokesman.
The transportation department will be watching Arkansas roads through its camera network and crews in the field. Straessle encouraged any drivers who come across any trucks pretreating roads to give them needed space.
“You don’t want a windshield full of rock salt,” he said.
EARLIER:
Monday’s warm temperatures are predicted to give way to snow across much of Arkansas on Tuesday, with temperatures plummeting and causing as much as an inch to stick in central parts of the state, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service said the precipitation will begin as rain late Monday with sleet and snow mixing in through parts of north Arkansas early Tuesday morning. Central and southern Arkansas will see a similar shift during late morning and early afternoon, according to forecasters.
“For central Arkansas, this would probably be our first crack at [snow] for the season,” meteorologist Jeff Hood said.
Nearly all but the northwest and southwest corners of the state can expect a chance of snow, according to the weather service. While much of Arkansas is predicted to receive up to half an inch, central portions of the state may receive as much as an inch.
Forecasters said drivers should expect the snow to have minimal impact on the state’s roads, however.
The potential for sleet and snow comes ahead of warm temperatures Monday, with much of the state set to reach the upper 60s to low 70s, the weather service said. Temperatures are predicted to drop across the state over the next day, though, with some parts of north Arkansas falling into the high 20s.
Forecasters expect temperatures to heat up again later this week, ushering the state into a period of “fairly nice weather” for early-to-mid-December, Hood said.