Cold morning expected across Northwest Arkansas

Stephen Fowler of Fayetteville scrapes snow from his rear windshield Saturday on Dickson Street in Fayetteville.
Stephen Fowler of Fayetteville scrapes snow from his rear windshield Saturday on Dickson Street in Fayetteville.

BENTONVILLE -- Cold temperatures will hover over Northwest Arkansas this morning as the last remnant of a storm that blew through Saturday.

Benton and Washington counties were on the southern edge of a winter storm that hit the Midwest and was moving to the northeast, Pete Snyder, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla.

Temperatures this morning will be in the mid-teens, but the sun is expected to come out and the highs should be in the upper 30s, Snyder said.

Measurable snow was about one-half to 1 inch across Benton and Washington counties, Snyder said. Higher elevations in the area may have gotten more snow. Tulsa, in contrast, just got a trace, he said.

"We've dodged any winter storms of any significance, but this was the coldest air of the season," Snyder said.

The front came in with rain and thunderstorms and changed to snow about dawn.

Sgt. Kevin Cizerle with Bentonville's Police Department said the main thoroughfares in the city were slushy, and some of the secondary roads were glazed with snow.

The snow stopped in Bentonville about 10:45 a.m., but snow continued to fall in Fayetteville until midday. A biting 20 mph wind from northwest with gusts up to 31 mph sliced across the region for most of the day.

"The wind is brutal," Snyder said.

Danny Straessle, the Arkansas Department of Transportation's public information officer, said Interstate 49 was in good shape Saturday afternoon, but other area roads the department is responsible for were a "mixed bag of snow and ice."

Terry Gulley, transportation services director for Fayetteville, said crews treated streets with salt brine. He said the wind would help dry the streets, but cautioned drivers to be aware when they go out this morning. "There are spots where water runs across a road. Those places will be slick," he said.

Benton County's Road Department had crews putting down salt brine at 6 a.m. said Jay Frasier, Public Services Administrator who oversees the Road Department. That was followed with a round of a salt and sand mixture. By 1 p.m., Frasier said most of the county roads were still damp, but the snow was off them. There still were some isolated slick spots, he said. The county will monitor the roads early this morning and determine if more treatment is necessary, he said.

People were out Saturday despite the cold weather. Mike Rush, owner of Rush Running, led a group of about 130 runners who are preparing for the Bentonville Half Marathon on a 6-mile run in Bentonville about 7:30 a.m. The group ran the first 2 miles into the wind. Sleet fell as they ran, Rush said.

"They rocked it, they crushed it," Rush said of the runners who battled through the cold conditions. "Nothing will stop them now. They're prepared."

Kristina Whitaker and her husband, John, who live in Rogers, had driven some of the streets there and in Bentonville on Saturday morning. She said roads were "nasty" in certain spots.

People went to the First Presbyterian Church food pantry on J Street in Bentonville despite the weather. The turnout was slow compared to the previous Saturday, said Jessie Bruner, who signed in 12 families by 10 a.m.

About 22 people showed up at the Salvation Army's Bentonville shelter by about 10:30 a.m., said Verna Cagle, a social services worker who was working the front desk.

The Salvation Army of Northwest Arkansas opens warming centers whenever the wind chill slips below 34 degrees, according to its website. The Salvation Army has shelters in Bentonville and Fayetteville.

Cizerle said drivers need to use caution when they set out this morning.

"You will be driving along fine, then you might hit a slick spot, he said. "It might be hard to see."

The extended forecast calls for sun and a high near 50 Monday and highs in the low 50s Tuesday.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

With snow falling Saturday, a vehicle crosses the historic War Eagle Bridge in Benton County. Overnight temperatures in the state’s northern areas were expected to dip into the teens Saturday.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF • @NWABENGOFF

A car struggles to climb an icy hill Saturday on West Lafayette Street in Fayetteville.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF • @NWABENGOFF

John Paul Jones, 10, of Springdale sleds Saturday at Hunt Park in Springdale. Benton and Washington counties received about one-half to 1 inch of snow Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla.

NW News on 01/20/2019

Upcoming Events