Officials: Stay off NWA roads if possible

Worst conditions reported near Missouri border

The Fayetteville Transportation department staged several trucks full of road grit to resupply the spreader trucks on the north side of town.
The Fayetteville Transportation department staged several trucks full of road grit to resupply the spreader trucks on the north side of town.

Road and emergency officials are urging people to stay off roads as a winter weather system dumps sleet and snow across Northwest Arkansas.

Major roads were partly or completely covered in sleet or slush from Bella Vista to Fayetteville, but the worst conditions appear to be near the Missouri border.

Bella Vista Police Captain Tim Cook said road crews were having trouble keeping even main roads clear mid-day.

“By the time they scrape and put sand down the snow is covering the road,” Cook said. “We have had a number of people running off these roads.”

Crews likely won't be able to clear large or small side roads well by Thursday morning, Cook added.

“All the side roads are probably going to be in really bad shape,” he said. “As far as the highway we are seeing a pretty good cleaning of it. I would say don’t travel unless you have too.”

Road officials farther south reported fewer problems, though road-clearing crews were planning to work 12-hour shifts. Springdale sent out trucks with brine and beet juice to help keep roads unlocked by ice starting before 10 a.m., and other cities sent out the plows before midday.

He said the city should have enough supplies to weather the storm.

"Unless something really weird happens over the next 24 hours, we'll be OK," said Sam Goade, director of Springdale's Public Works Department.

School and business closings helped make the streets less dangerous, and no rural fires had been reported, said John Luther, emergency management director for Washington County. Robert McGowen, director of the the county's emergency management agency, said he'd gotten reports of only a few minor accidents.

“It's just kind of quiet,” Luther said, adding he encouraged residents who are indoors to stay that way for now.

Most of the area had transitioned from sleet to snow by 1 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The service expects snowfall to continue throughout the evening before tapering off around midnight, with 1 to 3 inches total accumulation.

After that, the forecast abruptly clears. Sunny skies are expected into next week, with daily highs gradually rising into the 50s for the weekend.

"The overnight hours are when it will get slick,” Jeff Clark, head of the Benton County Road Department, said Wednesday. “We've got a night shift working from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and if need be we'll run all day tomorrow."

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