Area under Ice Storm Warning until noon Wednesday

Crittenden County expected to see sleet, freezing rain through tomorrow morning

By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@gmail.com

By the time this e-edition of the Times reaches your desktop PC, laptop or tablet, you’ll already know whether or not the predicted winter weather made good on its threat to hit the Crittenden County area.

But even if Monday night’s forecast of potential sleet and freezing rain missed us, we’re not out of the woods yet. Much of the Mid-South remains under an Ice Storm Warning that could linger into tomorrow if conditions do not shift unexpectedly. The Ice Storm Warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect until noon tomorrow, which is when temperatures are expected to creep just abov the freezing mark, with a projected high of 34 degrees.

Ahead of last night’s and today’s predicted winter precipitation, West Memphis Office of Emergency Management Director DeWayne Rose has been busy issuing alertts and following the ever-shifting weather patterns.

“Freezing rain is likely across the Mid-South tonight through Wednesday,” said Rose.

“Potential impact includes travel difficulties, tree damage and power outages.”

The threat of ice and cold temperatures comes just shy of a year removed from a massive ice storm that blew through the region in early February of 2022.

During that major cold snap, many Crittenden County residents were without power for more than a week and several homes were damaged by large trees and limbs that snapped under the thick coat of ice that blanketed the area.

This winter storm is not forecast to be as massive or as damaging as the one last winter, with a quarter-inch to half-an-inch of accumulation expected in most of the region, however the front pushing through today is expected to be the bigger producer of freezing rain in the Mid-South.

Graphic courtesy of West Memphis OEM/NWS

File photo