Winter weather accumulation, including snow, sleet and ice, is possible across northern Arkansas on Wednesday and will move into eastern Arkansas by the evening, according to forecasters.
The National Weather Service also warned of a chance for severe storms in southern Arkansas Wednesday afternoon.
Ice accumulation is expected to be limited to a couple hundredths of an inch and snow accumulation will be less than one inch, a Wednesday morning briefing from the weather service states.
Winter weather advisories are in effect from noon to 6 p.m. for Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for Boone, Newton, Marion, Searcy, and Baxter Counties, according to the weather service.
Travel impacts may occur due to ice glazing on bridges and overpasses and roadways, forecasters said. Just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Arkansas Department of Transportation reported a portion of Interstate 49 from U.S. Highway 71B to the Benton County line was covered in ice. Visit iDriveArkansas.com to see more of where winter weather is impacting roads.
A few strong to severe storms are possible Wednesday afternoon across the southern half of the state, the briefing states.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Columbia and Union counties until 7 p.m., according to the weather service.
The weather threats include gusty winds up to 60 mph and large hail up to the size of a quarter, with a “very low” potential for isolated tornadoes, forecasters said.
Dangerous cold is expected for much of the northern half of the state Thursday and Friday mornings, the briefing states.
Due to below-zero wind chill values across the north Thursday, a wind chill advisory will go into effect for Fulton, Sharp, Randolph, Stone, Izard and Lawrence counties from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, forecasters said. According to the briefing, Friday will bring near-zero wind chill values.
Wind chill values are expected to drop below 10 degrees for parts of Central Arkansas on Thursday and Friday morning, according to the briefing.
Little Rock Parks & Recreation Community Centers will open as Warming Centers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday:
Dunbar Community Center – 1001 West 16th St. (501) 376-1084
Southwest Community Center – 6401 Baseline Road (501) 918-3975
Stephens Community Center – 3720 West 18th St. (501) 603-9974
West Central Community Center – 8616 Colonel Glenn Road (501) 379-1890
East Little Rock Community Center – 2500 East 6th St. (501) 374-2881
Additionally, space is being prepared at the Little Rock Compassion Center, 4210 Asher Ave., so that daytime visitors can keep warm and dry, according to a news release from the center. Any time the outside temperature drops below 42 degrees, the center allows people to come inside where it is warm. Under cold weather conditions, the center can accommodate 250-300 people, according to the release.
This story has been updated. It was originally published at 11:21 a.m.