Light snow and freezing rain could make driving dangerous this week in some parts of northern Arkansas, particularly after dark, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow flurries and freezing rain are forecast for the northernmost part of the state tonight and Thursday night.
Any accumulation on roadways will likely melt the following day, then refreeze after dark as temperatures seesaw above and below the 32-degree mark, said Joe Goudsward, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.
That's what happened Sunday night and during the day Monday in much of northern Arkansas.
Dennis Truxler, superintendent of the Quitman School District in southern Cleburne County, said he was surprised to see snow on the ground Monday morning. Truxler drove to the school at 5:30 a.m. and, after conferring with his transportation director, decided to cancel school Monday.
"With our hills and roads and everything in the shade, I just felt for the safety of our students and teachers and everybody it was better for us to cancel school," Truxler said at 1 p.m. Monday. "It's been clearing off for a while now, but there are still some shady spots where it could be slick."
Many schools across Arkansas were already closed Monday, which was a holiday to honor the birthdays of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Goudsward said most of northern Arkansas received only a dusting of snow Sunday night, but about an inch of snow accumulated from just south of Harrison to Marshall in Searcy County. Marshall, with 2 inches, officially received the most snow in Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service's totals at the end of Monday.
Goudsward said light snow could fall tonight in the top two tiers of Arkansas counties next to the Missouri border. That same area could get a snow/sleet mix Thursday night, he said.
"It's going to warm up a little bit over the next few days," Goudsward said. "We have another storm coming up on Thursday. That one is primarily rain, but it could be snow up north."
Frigid temperatures Sunday night contributed to a power outage that temporarily affected 24,000 Entergy customers in north central Arkansas, according to a news release.
Twelve-degree air around Calico Rock in Izard County caused a power line to constrict, pulling the line so tight that it rose up into the crossarm of a transmission structure, according to the utility. The company was doing upgrades to the line, and the line was attached in a manner that wouldn't normally allow for such a problem, according to the release.
The National Weather Service was predicting dangerously cold temperatures for much of the northern United States on Monday night.
"Brisk winds combined with the cold air will result in apparent temperatures of 20 to 40 below zero," according to the National Weather Service. "A vast area spanning from the High Plains to the Ohio Valley, the Midwest and along the Appalachians have wind chill advisories in effect."
Lows in northern Arkansas were expected to be in the teens Monday night, but the rest of the week will be warm by comparison.
Little Rock is projected to have a high of 41 degrees today and a low of 38 degrees tonight. No snow or freezing rain is in the forecast for the capital city. High temperatures in Little Rock are predicted to hit 48 degrees Wednesday and 46 degrees Thursday.
In Baxter County, 150 miles north of Little Rock, the story is a little different. The National Weather Service is predicting a 50 percent chance of snow and sleet tonight for Mountain Home, the county seat, as the temperature bottoms out near 28 degrees. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than an inch is possible.
There is a slight chance for snow Wednesday night in Mountain Home and a 50 percent chance for rain and snow there Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures in Mountain Home will be around 40 degrees for the next three days.
The forecast was similar for Harrison and Marshall.
Farther to the east in Jonesboro, the National Weather Service is predicting an 80 percent chance of freezing rain tonight as the temperature drops to 31 degrees. Ice accumulation of less than one-tenth of an inch is possible. There is a 60 percent chance of rain and snow for Thursday night in Jonesboro. High temperatures should be about 40 degrees for the next three days in Jonesboro, as well.
There is also a 60 percent chance of freezing rain tonight in Fayetteville but little or no ice accumulation is expected. There is a 30 percent chance of snow Thursday night in Fayetteville. High temperatures should be in the upper 30s for the next three days.
A blast of dangerously cold temperatures moved east across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes on Sunday, with temperatures bottoming out at 36 degrees below in Fosston, in northwest Minnesota.
Parts of Illinois were in the single digits Monday. It was the same in southern Indiana, where officials trying to stem the spread of a bird flu virus in turkey farms over the holiday weekend ran into problems when hoses that sprayed a poultry-suffocating foam froze.
In Wisconsin, authorities said a 21-year-old woman likely died of exposure to subzero temperatures in Milwaukee. Medical examiners said she was apparently intoxicated when she left a house party. Surveillance video showed she collapsed outside of a residence, where a passer-by found her.
Snow accompanied the drop in temperatures in northern and western Michigan, where up to 16 inches of snow fell over 24 hours in Honor, and Traverse City received 10 inches.
Information for this article was contributed by staff members of The Associated Press.
Metro on 01/19/2016