Forecasters upgraded parts of Arkansas to a winter storm warning, predicting that snow, sleet and freezing rain will fall Thursday and Friday.
Travel is expected to become difficult or impossible throughout the state.
Here are the details of the winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service:
CLEBURNE-CONWAY-FAULKNER-GARLAND-INDEPENDENCE-JACKSON-LOGAN- LONOKE-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-POLK-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT- WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AUGUSTA...BATESVILLE...BEEBE...BENTON... BOONEVILLE...BRINKLEY...BRYANT...CABOT...CLARENDON...CONWAY... COTTON PLANT...DANVILLE...DARDANELLE...DE VALLS BLUFF...DES ARC... HAZEN...HEBER SPRINGS...HOT SPRINGS...LITTLE ROCK...LONOKE... MCCRORY...MENA...MORRILTON...MOUNT IDA...NEWPORT...NORMAN... NORTH LITTLE ROCK...OLA...PARIS...PERRYVILLE...SEARCY...WALDRON
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR PRIMARILY FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THURSDAY TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY.
* EVENT...ACCUMULATING FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE ON FRIDAY
* TIMING...A CHANGEOVER TO FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND IN THE DELTA REGION NORTH OF SEARCY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. AROUND DAYBREAK ON FRIDAY... WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE SHIFTED SOUTH TO AROUND THE I-40 CORRIDOR IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS...AND TO AROUND MENA AND MT IDA IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THIS LINE OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY. BY EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WELL NORTH OF THE LINE SEPARATING RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN...MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD CHANGE TO SLEET.
* IMPACT...ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER OVER PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...ARE EXPECTED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SLEET AND ICE ARE EXPECTED. GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...INCREASING THE THREAT OF DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF ACCUMULATED ICE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. INDIVIDUALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR FORECAST FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK FOR THE LATEST ON THE DEVELOPING WINTER STORM.
