The threat of highly impactful freezing rain continues to go down for most locations in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, though some areas could still see ice accumulations exceed 0.25″. Scott and Le Flore (OK) counties continue to have the highest threat of freezing rain later this afternoon into tonight, but areas north will see much less. Significant amounts of dry air above the surface will likely evaporate any precipitation before it reaches the ground, especially areas north of I-40. Light icing is possible around the Fort Smith area, as the freezing rain could be heavy enough tonight to overcome the dry air. Damaging ice accumulations of up to 0.25″ will be most likely in southern portions of Scott and Le Flore (OK) counties, with upwards of 0.1-0.2″ possible just south of the Booneville area in Logan County.
Currently, most counties in Northwest Arkansas are under a Winter Weather Advisory (blue-shaded counties) for the possibility of light ice accumulations of around a few hundredths of an inch. Benton and Carroll counties were recently dropped from the Advisory, and will likely not see any threat of freezing rain tonight. The Winter Weather Advisory will begin tonight at 6pm and expire Thursday at noon. An Ice Storm Warning (purple-shaded counties) remains in effect for Le Flore (OK), Sebastian, Scott, and Logan counties. This warning is issued when ice accumulations of over 0.25″ are possible, which can cause damage to trees and power lines. The Ice Storm Warning goes until Thursday at noon.
As always, stay tuned to the latest from your Weather Authority team, and stay safe if you must drive on the roadways tonight and tomorrow! Follow us on social media for updates as more information continues to pour in on this complicated forecast!
