Temperatures in state to remain low; ice to stay put

Forecast calls for a half-inch accumulation in some places

Tahjaylah Roberson of Little Rock loads groceries into the back of her car at a Kroger market on Cantrell Road in Pulaski County on Wednesday.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staci Vandagriff)
Tahjaylah Roberson of Little Rock loads groceries into the back of her car at a Kroger market on Cantrell Road in Pulaski County on Wednesday. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staci Vandagriff)

Ice accumulations on roadways, trees or power lines will likely remain as temperatures are expected to stay below freezing for multiple days across nearly all of Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

"Whatever happens overnight tonight is not going to be going anywhere," meteorologist Dylan Cooper said Wednesday.

The weather service expanded its ice storm warning farther to the south and southwest late Wednesday night, with the highest ice accumulations expected in the area stretching from Camden, southern Pulaski County, Monticello, Brinkley and West Memphis.

Forecasts call for a half-inch of ice in those areas, with isolated pockets higher than a half-inch. Winds are expected to be 10-12 mph and, combined with ice, could lead to widespread power outages.

Freezing rain and ice are expected to stop by this afternoon, and temperatures will fall into the 20s across the state by Friday morning.

[FULL LIST: Click here for an updated list of school and government closings » arkansasonline.com/closings/]

Central Arkansas and Northeast Arkansas are expected to be affected by the winter weather system.

Widespread travel problems were already being reported early Wednesday in Jonesboro, Paragould and Walnut Ridge in Northeast Arkansas, Cooper said. Icy patches also were reported in Northwest Arkansas, while freezing drizzle continued in other northern regions.

Two people died in a crash Tuesday night in Benton County as the winter storm made its way into Northwest Arkansas. April Fanning, 61, and Alan Fanning, 59, both of Siloam Springs, died in the two-vehicle collision on the Illinois River bridge on Arkansas 16, according to a preliminary report from the Arkansas State Police.

The Fannings were traveling east in a 2005 Lincoln Town Car when they lost control of the vehicle on the bridge and crossed the centerline into the path of a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado. Road conditions were described as wet and icy, according to the report

Cooper warned that the lowest temperatures are expected Sunday and Monday, with wind chill values approaching minus-10 degrees or colder in Northwest Arkansas. Other parts of the state also will see wind chill values near zero or in the negative single digits.

A 10th of an inch to a quarter of an inch of ice is expected in Garland County, which is under a winter weather advisory. Garland County Director of Emergency Management Bo Robertson said ice accumulations of less than a 10th of an inch shouldn't be too disruptive.

"We're sitting right on that boundary between a quarter of an inch and maybe a 10th of an inch of ice," Robertson said Wednesday. "A 10th of an inch, besides some minor travel impacts on elevated roadways, doesn't do much. You start getting up to a quarter-inch of ice, then you've got issues."

Thoroughbred races at Oaklawn Racing Casino and Resort are scheduled to run as normal today and Friday, but racing cards for Saturday, Sunday and Monday have been canceled.

A winter weather advisory is also in effect for parts of southwest Arkansas, including Howard, Hempstead and Sevier counties.

"Those areas could see a light icing, mainly on elevated surfaces such as bridges and roads, along with trees and power lines," said Shane Pendleton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation continued to work around the clock as the ice storm approached Wednesday, spokesman Dave Parker said.

Applying salt brine on roadways has been a struggle because of temperatures and rain, Parker has said throughout the week. Road crews began using a combination of brine and beet juice Wednesday in some areas, including Northwest Arkansas.

"It can create a layer of traction and help with ice," Parker said. "It has proven to be helpful in the past. It is not 100 percent foolproof. We are aware of that."

Any icy precipitation that the state receives is unlikely to melt in coming days and will make clearing roads more difficult, he said. Parker also warned motorists that seemingly clear roads could still have icy patches.

"Dealing with snow and sleet is one thing, but dealing with ice is a new ball game altogether," he said. "It will not be safe for anybody to be out in."

Eugene Neff, a road superintendent for Craighead County in northeastern Arkansas, said his department has been limited in its ability to tackle icy conditions but crews were doing everything they could.

"All we do is throw sand out," Neff said. "We have two sand trucks, and seven or eight pickups."

The road workers, three to a truck, will throw sand at intersections, curves and hills.

"One drives and the others will get out at the intersection and sling sand out behind them, get back in and go to the next spot," he said.

The county has plows for the two sand trucks after the storm hits, Neff said, but graders typically used for snow won't help with the ice.

It has been years since the county has seen any ice on the roadways, Neff said. He said anyone who gets on the roads will need to take their time and expect a few roads to become impassable.

Shane Ramsey, director of Pulaski County Road and Bridge, said crews have been strategically placing sand piles at spots around the county. He said the department is using sand because weather forecasts call for temperatures to drop to a point where salt won't be as effective on roads.

The department has four large trucks and four small trucks that it uses to disperse the sand. Ramsey said the hope is that the sand provides some traction. Crews are also prepared to remove any trees and limbs that break under the weight of ice accumulation and fall into roadways.

"It is a waiting game," Ramsey said Wednesday.

Dennis Birge, Bentonville's transportation director, said the city uses a salt brine mixture to pre-treat streets. The mixture is applied at approximately 50 gallons per lane mile.

"After we see the precipitation, we will then move to a de-ice method that includes some salt brine, but mostly a pre-treated salt granular spread," Birge said. "This is done more in the problematic areas such as hills, bridges and intersections."

Utility companies across the state were preparing Wednesday for potential power outages caused by ice accumulations on power lines and trees.

"It's too soon to determine the extent of this storm's threat to Entergy Arkansas' equipment, but customers should prepare to be without power for several days," Entergy spokesperson David Lewis said.

Through mutual-aid agreements, utility companies were already arranging for contractors Wednesday to help in case of widespread outages, officials said.

About 260 additional line workers are heading into Arkansas today, including employees of Entergy Louisiana and contractors normally assigned to Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Texas, Lewis said in an email. Another 100 damage assessment specialists are on the way.

There were 344 contractors lined up to clear fallen trees off roadways, and the total field workforce committed to this weather event is nearly 900, Lewis said.

Rob Roedel, a spokesperson for Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, cautioned that it could take some time to get power back on if there are outages but that utility companies will work as fast as possible to restore power.

"We are always at the mercy of Mother Nature and weather," Roedel said. "We can't begin restoring the service until we know exactly what is wrong with the system. We have to wait for Mother Nature to do her worst, and then we come and see what the damage is and then develop a plan to restore the system as quickly as possible."

Information for this article was contributed by Mike Jones and Tom Sissom of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; David Showers of The Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs; and Lori Dunn of the Texarkana Gazette.

Entergy employee Eddie Knight unloads supplies Wednesday at the utility’s maintenance yard in Little Rock. Crews are preparing for potential power failures caused by icy precipitation.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Entergy employee Eddie Knight unloads supplies Wednesday at the utility’s maintenance yard in Little Rock. Crews are preparing for potential power failures caused by icy precipitation. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Arkansas Department of Transportation workers mix brine to apply to roads Wednesday at the West Pulaski County maintenance yard in Little Rock as crews work around the clock to prepare for an approaching ice storm. The National Weather Service is warning that temperatures will plunge and stay well below freezing for days, with any ice on roadways, trees or power lines sticking around.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Arkansas Department of Transportation workers mix brine to apply to roads Wednesday at the West Pulaski County maintenance yard in Little Rock as crews work around the clock to prepare for an approaching ice storm. The National Weather Service is warning that temperatures will plunge and stay well below freezing for days, with any ice on roadways, trees or power lines sticking around. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

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