Winter's Frigid Grip Continues Hold On Northwest Arkansas

STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF 
Arkansas State Police and Rogers Fire Department personnel look over the scene of a fatal crash Sunday on Interstate 540 north of Exit 81 in Rogers.
STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF Arkansas State Police and Rogers Fire Department personnel look over the scene of a fatal crash Sunday on Interstate 540 north of Exit 81 in Rogers.

Winter weather sliced across Northwest Arkansas, leaving roads slick from sleet and causing one fatal traffic accident Sunday.

"The roads are deteriorating as the weather continues," Fayetteville police Sgt. Tim Franklin said. "Just a lot of snow, ice and sleet in a short period of time."

AT A GLANCE

What Is Thundersnow?

Thunderstorms are not common in the winter because usually the air is more stable. Snowstorms with thunder and lightning are called “thundersnow.” Thundersnow is caused by strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface, such as above a warm front.

Source: Staff Report

The storm started Sunday morning and brought thunder and lightning. Thundersnow is a sign of heavy and fast precipitation, said Mike Teague, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla. Interstate 540 was clear, with pavement showing at noon Sunday, but by 1 p.m., the interstate turned white from a layer of sleet.

Bruce Kanki, 35, of Springdale, died about 2 p.m. Sunday after the 2004 Dodge Durango he was in slid over a guardrail along Interstate 540 and landed upside-down near a creek near the Bellview overpass in Rogers, according to an Arkansas State Police incident report released Sunday. Two other people were transported to Mercy Hospital.

The accident is weather-related, but the driver Daniel Naisher, 24, of Springdale, was cited for careless or prohibited driving and for having no insurance, according to the report. Both Naisher and front-seat passenger Allee Naisher, 25, of Springdale, were taken to Mercy Hospital. The group had been traveling from Missouri to Springdale, according to the report.

Other cities reported few accidents because many people stayed home Sunday, police said.

Bentonville had no accidents by 12:30 p.m., and Fayetteville reported only three accidents by 2:30 p.m. Sunday, spokesmen said. Few accidents were reported, and few cars were in ditches across Benton and Washington counties, officials there said.

At 1 p.m., few people were out driving in Rogers. At Pinnacle Hills Promenade, many stores were dark. A few families, including brothers Joe and Tom Halbmaier, went to see a movie.

"There was nothing to do at the house," Joe Halbmaier said.

The two said they weren't worried about road conditions because they have a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Rogers police spokesman Keith Foster urged people to stay home via Facebook. Police across Northwest Arkansas asked people to stay home or drive very slowly and carefully as roadways worsen.

"It's not worth putting yourself in danger just to run to the store to get that one item," Franklin said.

Areas in Northwest Arkansas saw more than an inch of sleet fall by about 2 p.m., Teague said. He said thunder during sleet or snow can mean an inch or two of accumulation in an hour's time.

In Washington County, sleet and snow fell heavily and temperatures dropped to about 15 degrees by 4 p.m. County road crews struggled to keep up with the sleet and snow covering roads, said Shawn Shrum, assistant road superintendent.

"It's starting to freeze pretty solid," Shrum said. "Now that it has gotten so cold, it's not coming off as well as it did earlier."

In Benton County, pretreating roads helped keep them passable Sunday, said Mike Dixon, emergency management agency deputy director. Crews were out Sunday evening putting down sand and salt, he said.

Wind chills are expected to drop to as low as minus 20 degrees into the morning. On Tuesday, temperatures are expected to be in the 20s, according to the weather service. Northwest Arkansas could get up to 4 inches of ice and snow by the time the snow tapers off today, the weather service said.

This year's winter weather, which covers the three months that ended March 1, likely will be ranked among the coldest recorded in decades, Teague said. Records are still being compiled, he said.

NW News on 03/03/2014

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