LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas bore the early brunt of the sprawling winter storm that’s expected to impact more than 40 states through the weekend. By early Saturday, some roads were blanketed by hazardous travel conditions.
Little Rock recorded 6.0 inches of snow by Saturday morning, shattering the previous daily record for snowfall of 4.0 inches set back in 1899.
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The city announced Friday that it has established a 24-hour winter shelter which would be open until further notice.
Mayflower, 20 miles northwest of Little Rock, tallied 6.8 inches of snow by 12:00 p.m. local time.
Snow covers Little Rock, AR early Saturday.
(Phillip Lemley / FOX Weather)
Little Rock was forecast to be right on the snow-sleet line, but denser Arctic air pushed further south than expected.
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This extremely cold air turned what would have been slush into heavy snow, blowing past the initial forecast of 3-5 inches.
This graphic shows radar overnight Friday, Jan. 23 into Saturday Jan. 24.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
The Arkansas Department of Transportation reported snow across the vast majority of roadways in the northern half of the state early Saturday, while sleet and freezing rain covered roads in the southern part of the state.
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Between 0.50 and 0.75 inches of ice accumulation is expected across portions of southern Arkansas by Sunday afternoon, according to the FOX Forecast Center, increasing the chances for widespread power outages.
Heavy snow pounds Mayflower, Arkansas early Saturday.
Ashley Luningham, Public Information Officer for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, told FOX Weather that state police have already helped drivers who were stranded earlier Saturday.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm on Thursday.
Arkansas bore the early brunt of the sprawling winter storm that’s expected to impact more than 40 states through the weekend. By early Saturday, some roads were blanketed by hazardous travel conditions. Little Rock recorded 6.0 inches of snow by Saturday morning, shattering the previous daily record for snowfall of 4.0 inches set back in 1899. Ashley Luningham, Public Information Officer for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, told FOX Weather that state police have already helped drivers who were stranded earlier Saturday and detailed the other ways the state is prepared for the historic system.
Behind the storm, temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits by Monday, creating a dangerous refreeze of existing snow and ice.
The National Weather Service office in Little Rock said snow and sleet are expected to last through Sunday evening, with the sleet-freezing rain line expected to shift north and east across the state.
(FOX Weather)
According to the FOX Forecast Center, Little Rock only averages 1.1 inches of snow throughout the entire month of January.
(FOX Weather)
