Northwest Arkansas residents can expect a break from the severe cold and power outages of recent days as the latest winter storm moves out of the area this afternoon.
Bart Haake, with the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, said the storm dumped 3 to 4 inches of snow across the area overnight and should move out today. Haake said the snowfall from the two storms that started Sunday was reported at 6 to 8 inches across the region.
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Crews from Black Hills Energy began work about midnight to restore natural gas service to about 2,300 Pea Ridge customers whose service was interrupted Tuesday morning by low pressure in a service line.
The utility said the crews turned off all the gas meters by 10 p.m. and re-pressurized the system shortly after midnight. Crews are going door-to-door today to turn on the gas meters, do safety inspections and relight pilot lights. The company had no timetable for completing the work.
Peter Main, spokesman for Southwest Electric Power Company, said the demand for electricity peaked Wednesday morning and no additional controlled outages are anticipated. SWEPCO and other electric utilities implemented a series of rolling outages to reduce demand on the electric grid managed by the Southwest Power Pool that covers 14 states including part of Arkansas. The utilities asked customers to continue energy-conservation measures.
"We did receive notification from SPP this morning that they are not directing any interruptions in service at this time," Main said.
Wednesday morning the SWEPCO outage map showed just two small outages in Northwest Arkansas that were attributed to normal operation issues. Other utility companies reported similar conditions.
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Officials in both Benton and Washington counties said they are working to clear snow from roadways and asked motorists to be careful and to limit their driving if possible.
While most of the week's snowfall is likely over for Northwest Arkansas, freezing temperatures will remain all day, forecasters say.
The National Weather Service predicts between one tenth of an inch and one inch the rest of Wednesday with most accumulation happening in the morning and little to no chance of snow after noon.
Travelers in the region should use caution as snow and ice could make untreated roads, bridges and overpasses dangerous for drivers, according to the service.
A high temperature of 25 degrees with a low of 6 for the day in Fayetteville. A high of 27 and a low of minus 1 is forecast for Thursday.
The wind chill could drop as low as about minus 5 degrees early Thursday.
Friday is likely to be the first day in over a week with a high temperature above freezing, according to the service.
There is no snow in the region's forecast for the coming week.
A winter storm warning remains in effect for other areas of the state through Thursday morning, according to the service.
Forecasters said 4 to 8 inches of snow are expected for northern, southern and central parts of the state, with a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain expected in the southeast.
This story was originally published at 11:00 a.m.