Frigid temperatures to blast through region

Jack Demaree photographs the ice Thursday formed on the trotters of the Wild Band of Razorbacks monument on the northeast corner of Reynolds Razorback Stadium on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The National Weather forecast for today in the Northwest Arkansas area is for mostly cloudy and a high near 29 degrees. Go to nwaonline.com/210212Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Jack Demaree photographs the ice Thursday formed on the trotters of the Wild Band of Razorbacks monument on the northeast corner of Reynolds Razorback Stadium on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The National Weather forecast for today in the Northwest Arkansas area is for mostly cloudy and a high near 29 degrees. Go to nwaonline.com/210212Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)

A cold blast will barrel into Northwest Arkansas this weekend.

Snow is likely Sunday into Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla.

It 's expected to be partly sunny and in the low 20s today with an overnight low of 12, but a colder burst will arrive Saturday, according to the Weather Service. Saturday's forecast shows a high near 23 with an overnight low near 8 degrees; Sunday is more brutal with a high of 15 forecast and a low of 2.

A Weather Service briefing sent to Robert McGowen, Benton County's administrator of public safety, on Thursday morning noted a significant snow threat Sunday.

"Currently, it is too early to pinpoint exact amounts. However, the trend continues to show that this could be a significant snow event across the area," the report stated. It advised people to prepare for a major winter event.

The Springdale Fire Department on Thursday issued a news release cautioning residents on a variety of safety matters related to the expected below-freezing weather. The department's Facebook page will have more safety information over the next several days.

County road departments took a wait-and-see approach to treating roads after being slammed Tuesday night and all day Wednesday.

Jeff Crowder, assistant road superintendent for Washington County, said most county roads improved by Thursday morning with just a few slick spots on bridges and areas where the wind swept across the roads, and the department was gearing up for the next round of winter precipitation.

Crowder said the Road Department is restocking its supplies of sand and gravel and had a meeting set for late Thursday to ensure everyone knows their duties in the event of additional winter weather.

"We'll be fueled up and ready to go," he said.

Jay Frasier with the Benton County Road Department said crews worked Thursday on what he called "hot spots" and dropping sand on dirt roads so vehicles could get some traction.

Dave Parker, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said he hadn't heard of any problems on Interstate 49 on Thursday. The department is already looking ahead to Monday, he said.

Sgt. Bruce Strain with the Washington County Sheriff's Office said there weren't nearly as many calls Thursday morning reporting accidents or stalled and stranded motorists as Wednesday.

"I think people were kind of blindsided yesterday," he said. "They got out driving and things were slicker than they had thought they would be."

Bryan Beeson, Benton County facilities administrator, had crews out at 8 a.m. Thursday to have sidewalks and entry ways into county buildings salted and sanded and ready for a delayed opening at 10 a.m.

Southwestern Electric Power Co. in a news release encouraged customers to be prepared should power outages occur.

"Snow and ice can cause problems for the electric system because their weight brings down trees and power lines, and snow- or ice-covered roads slow our ability to get to the damaged poles, transformers and wires," said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations. "In addition, continued low temperatures can cause storm recovery problems for several days."

"We are closely monitoring the weather, placing our line, tree and support personnel on standby, checking supplies and preparing to mobilize the resources needed to restore power if outages occur," Seidel said.

Residents braved the cold Thursday to get essentials -- be it food or help for a vehicle.

The Neighborhood Market in Siloam Springs was busy as shoppers picked up essentials like milk, bread, eggs and bottled water.

The Springdale Fire Department news release stressed having sufficient food, toilet paper and prescription medications for at least seven days and preferably 14 days and to make sure at least some meals don't require a heat source to prepare.

Jack Woodruff, manager of the AutoZone in Siloam Springs, said the store sold out of spray de-icer Wednesday. The biggest seller this week has been wiper blades, he said.

Kevin Bray, area manager for Midas in Bentonville, said he hasn't seen more customers coming in with vehicle battery issues. He expects more will show up when deeper freezing weather hits.

"It's just now got cold enough to start killing them," Bray said.

Those without a roof over their heads can get to somewhere warm as temperatures plunge.

The Salvation Army has warming centers in Bentonville and Fayetteville usually open when the wind chill is 34 degrees or below. The warming centers are separate from the regular shelters at each site that have stayed open daily since November to provide adequate space for people because of the pandemic, Capt. Josh Robinett said.

The organization has up to 71 beds available in Fayetteville and 96 beds in Bentonville, he said earlier this week. People staying at Salvation Army have access to showers, toiletries and meals. There are also movies, books, card games and board games.

If the organization reaches capacity, vouchers will be available for people to stay in hotels, he said. Hotels in Fayetteville, Bentonville and Rogers will accept the vouchers. There is no limit on the number of vouchers. Transportation also can be provided.

A private grant from a local foundation made the vouchers and warming center operations possible, Robinett said. The grant providers asked to remain unidentified, he said.

7 Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville will have its day center operation at St. James Missionary Baptist Church on Willow Avenue open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day this week, including Saturday and Sunday, Chief Executive Officer Jessica Andrews said. The center normally is open weekdays, but the organization will absorb the cost of staff overtime because of the extreme cold, she said.

Mike Jones, Tracy Neal, Stacy Ryburn and Tom Sissom contributed to this report.

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