State thaws out, but more snow in forecast

A road grader clears snow off West Third Street near the state Capitol on Tuesday morning. Little Rock planned to have crews working overnight and early today as needed, a spokesman said.
A road grader clears snow off West Third Street near the state Capitol on Tuesday morning. Little Rock planned to have crews working overnight and early today as needed, a spokesman said.

After a brief, sunny reprieve from winter's cold blast, Arkansas is preparing for yet another round of frozen precipitation with up to 6 inches of snow forecast for the southern edge of the state and from a dusting to 4 inches elsewhere today.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Kegen Schales falls off a snowboard Tuesday at the Clinton Presidential Park in Little Rock.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A North Little Rock Street Department sand truck works Tuesday in the Park Hill neighborhood to add traction to slick spots.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Snow rests on the sculpture “Courage to Lead” by Denny Haskew on Tuesday on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The university delayed class start with the campus opening at 9 a.m. and classes starting at 9:30 a.m. because of weather in Fayetteville.

It's the final wave of cold air that will hit the state before warming occurs, National Weather Service forecasters say.

Snow -- heavy at times -- was expected to begin overnight in southwest Arkansas and cross through the state quickly, leaving by early afternoon today. A swath from Texarkana to Monticello and Pine Bluff could get 4-6 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Hood of North Little Rock.

"This will be a quick-moving system," he said. "But we'll see a high rate of snowfall in some areas."

Areas south of Interstate 30 and Interstate 40 will receive 2-4 inches, forecasters say. A band through the central portion of the state could produce 1-2 inches, and points farther north may receive flurries or a dusting of snow.

Today's storm follows a system that dropped up to 2 inches of snow in Little Rock on Monday, snarling traffic, forcing the cancellation of schools and causing state government to shut down early.

On Tuesday, temperatures climbed above the freezing mark across most of the state, aiding in the melting of previous snowfalls that have peppered the state since last week. State offices opened two hours later than usual Tuesday, and the temperature reached 40 degrees in the capital city by late afternoon.

Several flights were canceled Tuesday at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, but that was because of weather problems at flight destinations -- not at the airport in Little Rock.

Crews worked "as needed, to keep runways dry," said Shane Carter, the spokesman for the state's largest airport. "The airport was open with both runways clear for operations."

A 6 a.m. Delta Air Lines flight to Atlanta and two United Airlines flights to Denver and Houston were canceled Tuesday. A Delta flight scheduled to arrive from Atlanta at 9:15 a.m. was also canceled, Carter said.

Little Rock and North Little Rock bus service began slowly, but reached full strength by the afternoon. The Central Arkansas Transit Authority didn't begin service until 8 a.m. and only on snow routes. Daily service on most routes normally begins at 5:20 a.m.

The transit agency temporarily suspended service on three routes Tuesday morning because of road conditions, but regular service resumed by 2 p.m. after higher temperatures helped thaw roadways.

The agency used social media to direct customers to the River Rail, a trolley service in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock, which was running at full service Tuesday. "Come take a ride and see the beautiful snow," the agency said on its Facebook page. "Where else can you have this much fun for $1?"

Little Rock Public Works Department crews planned to work overnight Tuesday to pre-treat bridges and to plow icy streets as needed today, said Luis Gonzalez, a spokesman for the city.

Tuesday's break in the weather allowed workers with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to repair vehicles that were used in clearing snow Monday and to restock on supplies.

Crews used more than 500 cubic yards of salt to pre-treat Interstates 30, 430 and 630 in Little Rock ahead of the past two rounds of snowfall, said Highway Department spokesman Danny Straessle.

"This break in the weather today allows us to get more salt delivered and to do maintenance on our vehicles," he said. Crews replaced wiper blades, changed fuses, checked hydraulic systems on the trucks and installed new blades on trucks' "belly plows."

Crews remained on 24-hour emergency winter operations, with rotating 12-hour shifts, he said. In anticipation of the approaching weather, workers pre-treated roadways in central Arkansas on Tuesday evening and moved supplies to areas where they would be most needed.

"Fortunately, we've had a pretty mild winter until mid-February," Straessle said. "It gave us time to stock up on salt. But February didn't give up without a fight."

He said crews were pleased with the road-clearing efforts -- especially those done during Monday's blustery conditions. Winds of 10-15 mph whipped up snowfall, reducing visibility to less than a quarter of a mile. Government and city offices closed early, and their workers' vehicles clogged highways as Highway Department crews tried to plow away the snow.

"We are excited with what we've seen so far," Straessle said of the department's new strategy for battling snow-covered roads. The department is using more "belly plows" -- sand and sand trucks equipped with large blades under their chassis. "Our crews are encouraged with how it's gone. What we've seen is very, very promising."

In southwest Arkansas, residents didn't seem too concerned Tuesday about the threat of the approaching snow.

No one asked for snow shovels at College Hill Hardware on College Street in Texarkana, said employee Jim Cox.

"I had a few people asking for de-icer," he said. "We've got a bunch of grain scoop shovels that you could use for snow, but no one's been buying them."

Customers at Jerry's General Store on the Kenneth Jenkins Expressway in Fouke were making bread and milk purchases Tuesday morning, but they weren't panicking, said store employee Penny Garrison.

"They're buying everything," Garrison said. "But they're not scared.

"We'll deal with it when it gets here," she said of the predicted snowfall.

It's not uncommon for the state to get significant snowfall in late February, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mario Valverde of Shreveport.

"We see the more spectacular snowfalls later in the winter as it's transitioning more with warmer Gulf air," he said. "There's cold air in place already meeting the warm air. This may start off as sleet, but we won't see the freezing rain.

"Kids will enjoy this," he said. "Parents won't."

Information for this article was contributed by Noel Oman of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

A Section on 02/25/2015

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