For about 90 minutes Wednesday morning, a light amount of sleet dusted the Magnolia area as wintry weather moved through most of the western portion of Arkansas.
The sleet began around 7 a.m. and lasted until approximately 8:30 a.m. in downtown Magnolia. The temperatures hovered right at freezing, allowing some small accumulation of frozen precipitation on car hoods and outdoor furniture. The sleet also could be seen on the ground and sidewalks but it did not last long and had soon melted away.
By 10 a.m., sleet accumulation was still visible on vehicles as the temperature remained at 32 degrees. The easterly 14-mph winds also made for a chill factor of 25 degrees.
In northwest Arkansas, the story was a bit different. Up to two inches of snow was possible in the area and the winter weather helped cause a tractor-trailer wreck on the northbound lane of I-49 near Fayetteville. The Arkansas Department of Transportation had also reported patches of snow and ice on the roadways throughout the western-central and northwest Arkansas area. Read more about the accident here: https://www.magnoliabannernews.com/news/2020/jan/22/snowy-roads-cause-interstate-wreck-northwest-arkan/
Magnolia Schools remained on schedule Wednesday, but nearby Texarkana College began classes at 9:30 a.m., according to a news announcement, to allow students, faculty, and staff extra travel time due to inclement weather. A winter advisory was also issued Wednesday morning for the Hope and Hempstead County area and into Broken Bow, Okla. The advisory called for up to a quarter-inch of snow mixed with freezing rain, meaning motorists should “exercise caution” on the roadway.
Although no more sleet or snow is expected in Columbia County, Wednesday will still be chilly and wet, with a high expected to be only around 38, according to the National Weather Service, and rain forecast for the rest of the day and into the night.