SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas residents should brace for quickly changing weather conditions over the next few days and can hold out some hope for a white Christmas, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service predicts showers and thunderstorms today, and showers followed by snow Thursday, on Christmas Eve. But by the time people open their gifts Friday, the heavy precipitation should have come and gone.
A light layer of snow is predicted to accumulate Thursday on grassy surfaces north of Interstate 40, but probably not on roads, according to the weather service forecast.The weather service predicts 1 to 3 inches of snow are possible north of U.S. 412 before snow begins to dwindle late Thursday. Strong winds are expected to create a wind chill in the single digits overnight Thursday and Friday, and the wind chill on Christmas day is expected to hover in the teens and 20s.
Any snow should be limited to light flurries Christmas day, forecasters said. Truly heavy bands of snow associated with a winter storm will sweep over parts of the country north of Northwest Arkansas.
Low-level warmth and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will interact with cold, mid-level conditions sweeping in from the Southwest to create extreme weather in Northwest Arkansas today.
“This is more like a spring system,” said Max Blood, a meteorologist with the weather service in Tulsa. “We could have hail and high winds, and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an isolated tornado.”
As the warmth and moisture moves east, much colder temperatures will follow Thursday, perhaps turning rain into snow by Thursday evening. Blood said the temperature should plunge from around 48 degrees today to 20 degrees Thursday night. But any snow that might accompany the drop in temperature is not expected to last long, nor to be heavy. Accumulation willbe minimal because of relatively warm, wet ground, he said.
Road conditions for Thursday travelers could be tricky, with the possibility of ice accumulating on bridges and overpasses. Whether that happens depends on the final trackof the storm, which has not definitively been set, said Blood.
State and local road managers are mindful of the weather service’s forecast.
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department inspected all of its vehicles and equipment this fall, and crews are ready to deploy this week if needed, said Joe Shipman, district engineer for District Four located in Fort Smith.
In Springdale, Public Works Director Sam Goade said two trucks that spread a mixture of gravel and salt would be on standby. And in Fayetteville, Transportation Services Director Terry Gulley said he and his staff would monitor forecastsand weather sensors to determine if they would treat certain roads and bridges in town.
Road and emergency personnel in Rogers and Benton County will also be monitoring the storm’s progress in the region.
The Arkansas State Police will keep an eye on bridges along Interstate 540 and coordinate with the Highway Department to determine if any areas need to be treated, said Sgt. Gabe Weaver.
This has been a wet year. According to the weather service, Northwest Arkansas had received 49.75 inches of rain as of Monday, 4.56 inches above the region’s annual average, said Blood.
The storm is expected to dump as much as 2 inches of rain on the region.
“For December, that’s a lot,” said Blood.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 11 on 12/23/2009