Rain continued throughout the region by 5 p.m. and temperatures hovered around freezing. The National Weather Service radar showed a large mass of frozen precipitation headed east.
At least three shelters were open in Benton County by Thursday afternoon with more poised to open as needed. Shelters are open at the Salvation Army at “I” Street and Arkansas 12 in Bentonville, Riordan Hall at 2 Kingsdale Lane in Bella Vista and at First Christian Church at 927 S. Oak Hill St. in Siloam Springs.
Greg Hines, Benton County administrator, said the county’s road department is ready.
“We have got the chains on the tires, and the trucks are filled,” Hines said, noting that a seven-man crew was scheduled to work Thursday night clearing roads.
The road department was set to be at 100 percent deployment by 4 a.m. Friday to make sure roads were cleared for any early morning commuters, Hines said.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport was “just a little wet,” said Kelly Johnson, manager of the airport.
But many flights that were supposed to arrive this evening had been canceled or delayed, according to the airport’s Web site.
Updated National Weather Service maps predicted that Benton County would receive about a third of an inch of ice, down from the half inch predicted earlier in the day.
For residents not wanting to weather the storm at home, local hotels are open.
“As early as it is, it’s business as usual,” said T.J. Angeleno, general manager for the Courtyard Marriott in Fayetteville. “Of course we’re prepared for the worst, but outside of making sure we are stocked on ice melt and have an adequate amount of staff staying at the hotel to ensure that the associate coverage is already on property, there is not a lot that we can do differently.
“Although it’s great for business we are hoping for the best for the NWA community and pray that it’s not as bad as it was last year,” Angeleno added. “However, if it does happen we’ll be ready.”
Ozark Regional Transit announced it was suspending service at 3 p.m. It will not operate service Friday, with the exception of emergency operations.
Ozark Regional Transit will be on standby for emergency transportation to assist county and city efforts in the event citizens need to be moved to emergency shelters, due to loss of power, heat or burst water pipes. Those who need nonmedical emergency transportation during the inclement weather can call (479) 756-5901.
In Washington County, several shelter sites have been identified by Washington County Emergency Management: Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club at 560 N. Rupple Road, Vandergriff Elementary School gymnasium at 2975 E. Township St., Central United Methodist Church at 6 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville Salvation Army at 219 W. 15th St., Springdale Senior Center at 203 Park St., West Fork Community Center at 222 Webber St. The Washington County Health Unit is a shelter for individuals with special needs, according to a news release by the Washington County Emergency Operations Center.
Shelters will be opened when conditions require, said Rick Johnson, deputy director of the Washington County Department of Emergency Management. Residents in need of shelter should call the Washington County Emergency Management at 587-3555.
Susan Krafft, director of communications and special events for the Northwest Arkansas chapter of Red Cross, said shelters will open as needed.
The list of shelter locations had not been finalized as of early afternoon, she said.
She said the first shelter to open, possibly this afternoon, would probably be at Riordan Hall in Bella Vista.
“We’d rather people drive before it gets bad,” she said.
For more information about the Riordan Hall shelter, call 479-855-8170.
Rogers officials will decide about opening warming centers as the storm develops.
Factors they will consider include power outages and public need.
If a significant number of outages occur, and if restoration of power is expected to be delayed, shelters will be opened.
The City Hall switchboard is operational around-the clock, until the storm effects lessen. Call 621-1117 for humanitarian assistance.
Beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, residents in Springdale can call a Springdale Police Hotline to get updates on weather and road conditions, the status of storm shelters, and to maintain a list of downed power lines.
Residents experiencing power outages are requested to notify their respective electric companies to report the problem. The hotline is expected to relieve the burden on emergency services. The nonemergency phone number to report noncritical information and to receive any updates is: (479) 756-8200 and will be staffed from 7 a.m to 10 p.m. until further notice.