Brief thaw helps road crews, but more cold on the way

After a brief daytime thaw, freezing temperatures have returned, renewing travel concerns across much of northern Arkansas as the state continues to assess damage from last week’s winter storm.

According to the National Weather Service in Little Rock, current conditions in Batesville show temperatures at 30°F as of early evening Wednesday. The forecast calls for increasing clouds tonight with patchy fog after 9 p.m. and a low around 21°F.

Thursday’s forecast shows patchy fog before 7 a.m., then mostly cloudy skies with a high near 39°F. A slight chance of rain and snow showers is possible Thursday night before 9 p.m., followed by a slight chance of snow showers between 9 p.m. and midnight, with a 20% chance of precipitation.

Another cold stretch will continue through the weekend. Friday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 33°F, but wind chill values could drop to 14°F. Friday night will bring mostly cloudy skies with a low around 10°F. Saturday will be sunny but cold, with a high near 26°F and overnight lows dropping to around 9°F.

Schools across the region remain closed as officials continue to assess road conditions and building safety. However, many offices and businesses are slowly getting back to normal operations after the prolonged freeze.

“The warm weather helped a lot; the ice is hard to remove from the road surface unless a little melt occurs,” said Independence County Judge Kevin Jeffery. “We have worked every day since the first snow.”

Many roads remain slick in spots, though conditions have been improving with the warmer daytime temperatures. Patchy freezing fog is possible overnight into Thursday morning, mainly across central and southern Arkansas, which could create hazardous driving conditions during the morning commute.