From a weather perspective, it may soon get nasty in Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith area – with possible “utility interruptions” part of a National Weather Service warning.
AccuWeather.com on Monday (Dec. 2) reported that a large swath of ice and a wintry mix will hit later this week and will likely slow travel and cut power from parts of Texas to Pennsylvania.
“As dangerous cold sweeps southward and eastward over the Plains and Midwest in the wake of a North Central states snowstorm, it will set up a weather pattern favoring a narrow zone of freezing rain, sleet and some snow late this week,” noted the AccuWeather report. “The icy mix will spread from part of northern Texas Thursday to central Kentucky and southern Ohio Thursday night to central Pennsylvania Friday.
In addition to cities in Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith area, cities facing travel and power problem include Dallas; Oklahoma City; Little Rock, Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati. “There is the potential for ice and a wintry mix to last more than a few hours. In some cases, a buildup of ice may span two days, which could result in sporadic power outages,” according to AccuWeather.
The National Weather Service out of Tulsa on Monday also issued a weather warning.
“Very cold air will combine with north winds to produce wind chill values below zero in parts of northeastern Oklahoma and Northwestern Arkansas on Friday and Saturday,” noted the NWS alert. “Some utility interruptions are quite possible where the heavier freezing rain occurs.”
The NWS warning came with advice to get ready.
“While the potential for this wintry weather is still several days away, it would be a good idea to take advantage of the milder weather ... and make initial preparations for the turn in the weather.” Fueling the possible snow and ice storm is a storm system producing flooding rains and heavy snow in the Pacific Northwest, according to AccuWeather. The story “will eject into the Plains early this week allowing arctic air to spill southward from Canada.”
