Weather cancels Fort Smith flights to, from DFW; covers River Valley roads with ice

Roberto Villa, Jr. and other workers with Lewis Tree Service trim tree limbs from nearby power lines, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at the Fort Smith Courthouse and City Hall in downtown Fort Smith. Villa, Jr. said the company was brought in from Oklahoma City this week to help protect area power lines and businesses from tree limbs that might freeze and fall from winter storms. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Roberto Villa, Jr. and other workers with Lewis Tree Service trim tree limbs from nearby power lines, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at the Fort Smith Courthouse and City Hall in downtown Fort Smith. Villa, Jr. said the company was brought in from Oklahoma City this week to help protect area power lines and businesses from tree limbs that might freeze and fall from winter storms. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)

FORT SMITH -- The Fort Smith Regional Airport canceled all flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport because of wintry weather.

All Crawford County school districts were closed Tuesday and switched to alternative learning. Alma Public Schools announced they will be closed today as well.

The Crawford County Courthouse and the city offices in Van Buren also closed due to weather.

Megan Slayton, public information officer with Van Buren's Police Department, said the city didn't have any weather-related accidents Tuesday, but said the roads are still covered in slush.

"Stay inside if you can, but if you do have to get out and about for any sort of emergency reason, take it slow and also leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles," she said.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation's IDrive Arkansas website reported Interstate 40 to the Bobby Hopper Tunnel and U.S. 62 as partly covered in ice as of Tuesday afternoon.

Slush was a problem that plagued roads in Sebastian County as well.

IDrive Arkansas reported U.S. 71 from Interstate 540 in Fort Smith to the Scott County line in Mansfield, Arkansas 10 from the Oklahoma line to the Logan County line and Arkansas 22 from Arkansas 59 in Barling to the Franklin County line in Charleston as being covered in slush by Tuesday afternoon.

At the same time, Interstate 540 from the Oklahoma line to the Arkansas River in Fort Smith, Arkansas 549 from U.S. 71 to Arkansas 22, U.S. 64 from the Oklahoma line to U.S. 71B and Arkansas 22 from U.S. 71B to Arkansas 59 in Barling were reported being partly covered in slush. IDrive Arkansas also reported an accident took place at Exit 8B on Interstate 540 in Fort Smith on Tuesday afternoon.

A detailed forecast for Fort Smith provided by the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla., stated freezing rain and sleet was likely Tuesday afternoon, mainly before 3 p.m. It said less than 0.1 of an inch of total ice accumulation and less than a half inch of total sleet accumulation was possible that day and predicted a 20% chance of rain after 3 p.m. today .

A Monday news release from the Arkansas National Guard stated Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders activated "winter weather support teams" from the guard's Fayetteville-based 142nd Field Artillery Brigade to support Arkansas State Police in the area.

Two teams each comprising five people and a Humvee with communications equipment began supporting Arkansas State Police Troop H in Fort Smith and Troop L in Lowell beginning at noon Monday, according to the news release. They're to operate around the clock until road conditions improve and state police determines it no longer needs the support.

"Each team will travel ASP designated roads to assist motorists and help motorists to safety," the release states. "Teams are not authorized to recover privately owned or commercial vehicles. If the need arises, teams are permitted to recover first responder emergency vehicles to a safe area if they are able to do so."

The Arkansas National Guard is also prepared to support Troop B in Newport, Troop D in Forrest City and Troop J in Clarksville if needed, according to the release.

Aric Mitchell, spokesman for Fort Smith's Police Department, said while his department responded to six weather-related accidents on Monday that included one person being injured to a nonlife-threatening extent, it didn't have to deal with "anything of significance" on Tuesday. He noted Tuesday afternoon traffic in the city had been light, although he advised residents to drive carefully and slowly when traveling on bridges or overpasses.

Philip Pevehouse, spokesman for the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, said traffic was light on his department's end as well. He said the Sheriff's Office wasn't called out to any accidents as of about 1:30 p.m., although it had responded to help a few people who possibly lost control of their vehicles get back on roads. Roads in south Sebastian County had sleet on the surface.

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, which was closed all day Monday and Tuesday, will remain closed today , with all classes canceled, according to Chancellor Terisa Riley. The Fort Smith and Greenwood school districts, which pivoted to online learning Monday and Tuesday, will continue doing so today.

Sebastian County's offices remained closed Tuesday as well.

Today will also see Mercy Clinic Fort Smith and Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas operate on different schedules across its offices.

"Patients with appointments on Wednesday, Feb. 1, will be contacted by Mercy to discuss the options for their visit, including virtual care," a news release states.

"If you have questions about your appointment, please call or send a MyMercy message to your provider's office. If you are unable to travel to your appointment as scheduled, we offer multiple options to ensure you receive the same level of Mercy compassionate care you would at an in-person visit."

Residents can schedule online appointments via Mercy's website.


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