Sliding in the snow proved a popular activity Friday for sledders and drivers alike.
Hills around Northwest Arkansas brimmed with sledders taking advantage of the season’s first snowfall, foregoing warm homes for outside temperatures in the 20-degree range.
Not many motorists braved the Christmas Eve and Christmas morning roads, but more than a few who did found themselves planted firmly in roadside ditches. No major injuries were reported, however.
“Usually Christmas Eve and Christmas are pretty slow, but this year quite a few people got out and went in the ditch,” said Cyclone Cox of Greenland Wrecker Service. “We were awful busy during the evening, especially for Christmas Eve.”
Parts of the region woke up to as much as 4 inches of snow, with varying levels of ice beneath, said Karen Hatfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla.
More snow could arrive by midweek, if a storm system develops as anticipated, Hatfield said.
“It’s possible a white Christmas could be followed by a white New Year,” she said.
Police reported few calls aside from car accidents. Most of the accidents were cars sliding into ditches or curbs, and weren’t serious, said Sgt. Shannon Gabbard of the Fayetteville Police Department.
While roads were slick, few were closed. By midafternoon, major roads were clearing and traffic picked up, particularly in Benton County, which got less snow than areas of Fayetteville and southern Washington County. Many side roads throughout the area, however, remained covered in a mixture of ice and packed snow, particularly in shady areas.
The region fared better than the River Valley, where as much as 7 inches of snow fell overnight, and central Arkansas, where heavy rainfall led to flooding, Hatfield said.
Unlike the ice storm last January, the snow didn’t weigh enough to bring down trees or electric wires. No significant power outages were posted on area provider Web sites.
Vernon Tarver contributed to this report.