Winter weather lingers in Mid-South
County sees third straight day of icy mix, freezing temps
By Ralph Hardin
ralphhardin@gmail.com
It was originally supposed to be a one-and-done deal that might or might not even happen, but the iceand- sleet mix that swept across the Mid-South on Monday night just kept coming, with another round on Tuesday, leading to school and business closures and cancellations, as well as traffic nightmares.
The forecast said Wedesday was the day to expect some relief, with a projected high of 33 — still plenty cold, but just above the freezing mark. But Wednesday, instead brought only a high of 29 to most of Crittenden County and yet another bout of freezing rain and ice accumulation on an already frozen landscape.
While the winter weather is
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not quite as severe as the big ice storm of early 2022, the lingering conditions have played havoc with the lives of local residents.
Store shelves have begun emptying out as folks have scrambled to grab the essentials (largely staples of cold-weather supplies like eggs, milk and bread), even as stores and other businesses began closing up shop on Wednesday in hopes of getting everyone home safely ahead of more ice in the evening forecast.
Local public schools went to pre-planned AMI distance learning lessons so as not to miss out completely on kids’ education, ballgames were rescheduled, and ASU Mid-South sent out word that on-campus classes were canceled.
The latest cold front is expected to move out of the area by Thursday, but leave the precipitation, which should, if National Weather Service forecasts are accurate, be of the liquid variety as the high is projected to be 36 for the Crittenden County area.
However, with overnight lows set to be in the mid-20s, there’s a high chance of re-freezing, with temperatures failing to crack the 40-degree mark until Saturday at the earliest.
In the meantime, major roadways were seeing some improvement with residential streets still largely frozen over and hazardous. The Arkansas Department of Transportation reiterated its original advice: “If you do not have to travel, stay off the roads.”
Photos by Ralph Hardin
