The National Weather Service is forecasting wintry weather for much of the state of Arkansas for later this week. Meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Little Rock, Justin Condry, told member station Little Rock Public Radio that a large swath of the state could receive up to five inches of snow Thursday night into Friday.
“As of right now, we're expecting that zone to be somewhere across southern Arkansas or northern Louisiana,” said Condry. “It looks like southern Arkansas may see mixed precipitation, whereas central Arkansas may experience more snow, possibly a little bit of sleet.”
Condry said that much of Northern Arkansas will be spared from the brunt of the storm, but he did not rule out some light snow accumulations of up to two inches in some areas. Although forecasters are uncertain of the exact path of the storm, Condry said forecasters are closely monitoring the system. He's urging people in the path of the storm to prepare now.
“Regardless, central Arkansas needs to prepare for some winter weather coming at the end of the work week," said Condry.
Much of Arkansas could see temperatures hover around the freezing mark during the day on Thursday and Friday, with overnight lows dipping into the mid-20s. The National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch covering much of central and western Arkansas.
Jonesboro Announces Warming Shelters
The City of Jonesboro on Thursday posted on Facebook a list of available warming shelters ahead of the fridged temperatures this week. The shelters are open Monday-Saturday and the city's JET bus system will provide free rides to and from the centers upon request.
The warming centers are as follows:
- Earl Bell Community Center (1212 S. Church St) & Jonesboro Youth Community Center (1421 W. Nettleton Ave.)
- Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
- Allen Park Community Center (3609 Race St.) & Parker Park Community Center (1506 N. Church St.)
- Open 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
- The Salvation Army of Jonesboro (800 Cate Ave.)
- 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. Hot meals for the community served daily at 5:30 p.m. at no cost.
The city also remined residents of United Way's Arkansas 211 hotline. United Way said the hotline is available 24 hours-a-day at no cost for callers to confidentially get connected to various services across the state. Services include:
- Food and Shelter
- Utilities assistance
- Crisis and health services, including mental
- Employment opportunities
- Personal needs such as diapers, hygiene items, and clothing support
- Money for gas and taxi fare
- Disaster relief
The City of Jonesboro said calls are tailored to the caller's location and are available in multiple languages.
Daniel Breen with Little Rock Public Radio contributed to this report.
