Winter Storm WatchURGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGENATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR358 AM CST TUE JAN 26 2010...A MAJOR WINTER STORM TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF ARKANSAS LATER THIS WEEK....AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THURSDAY. AT THE SAME TIME...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. THESE FEATURES WILL MOVEEAST LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY...BRINGING WIDESPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO ARKANSAS. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND ICE WILL BE POSSIBLE BY MIDDAY FRIDAY.

BAXTER-BOONE-CLEBURNE-CONWAY-FAULKNER-FULTON-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JOHNSON-LOGAN-MARION-NEWTON-PERRY-POPE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-YELL; INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ASH FLAT...BATESVILLE...BOONEVILLE...BULL SHOALS...CALICO ROCK...CAVE CITY...CLARKSVILLE...CLINTON...CONWAY...DANVILLE...DARDANELLE...FAIRFIELD BAY...FLIPPIN...HARDY...HARRISON...HEBER SPRINGS...HORSESHOE BEND...JASPER...LESLIE...MAMMOTH SPRING...MARSHALL...MELBOURNE...MORRILTON...MOUNTAIN HOME...MOUNTAIN VIEW...OLA...OXFORD...PARIS...PERRYVILLE...RUSSELLVILLE...SUMMIT...VIOLA...WALDRON...WESTERN GROVE...YELLVILLE

358 AM CST TUE JAN 26 2010...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

* TIMING: RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING NEAR THE MISSOURI BORDER...THEN BY LATE EVENING FURTHER SOUTH OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN ARKANSAS. THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL SWITCH TO A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT FRIDAY MORNING...THEN TO ALL SNOW BEFORE SUNRISE FRIDAY.

* ACCUMULATIONS: FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF OVER ONE QUARTER INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA. ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ADDITION TO THE FREEZING RAIN. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY OCCUR NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM CLARKSVILLE...TO CLINTON...TO HARDY...WHERE TOTAL ICE...SLEET...AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF OVER 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE.

* MAIN IMPACT: AREA ROADS...BRIDGES...AND OVERPASSES WILL LIKELY BECOME SLICK AND HAZARDOUS IN THE WATCH AREA...MAKING TRAVEL TREACHEROUS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. POWER OUTAGES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WHERE THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS OF FREEZING RAIN OCCURS.

* OTHER IMPACTS: BREEZY NORTH WINDS WILL ALSO CAUSE BLOWING SNOW...AS WELL AS INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR POWER OUTAGES WITH ICE ON TREES AND POWER LINES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR500 AM CST TUE JAN 26 2010ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL-500 AM CST TUE JAN 26 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS..DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WHILE HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL TAKE A BREAK TODAY...THERE WILL BE A STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES...AND A COLD FRONT AND ARCTIC AIR POISED TO THE NORTHWEST. THESE TWO FEATURES WILL COME TOGETHER LATER THIS WEEK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAYA NORTHWEST WIND FLOW ALOFT WILL DRIVE THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT INTO ARKANSAS FROM THE PLAINS ON THURSDAY. WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. MEANWHILE...THE STORM SYSTEM TO THE SOUTHWEST WILL APPROACH...AND WILL BE SURROUNDED BY ABUNDANTMOISTURE. AS THIS MOISTURE ENCOUNTERS COLDER AIR IN ARKANSAS...WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL RESULT.

A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. RAIN WILL BECOME FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET AS TEMPERATURES DROP. EVENTUALLY...THERE WILL BE A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN THE OZARK AND OUACHITA MOUNTAINS...AND PARTS OF THE NORTHEAST.

THROUGH DAWN FRIDAY...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND ICE ARE EXPECTED IN MOST AREAS NORTH OF LITTLE ROCK...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED.

ON FRIDAY...A LIGHT WINTRY MIX WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS AND THE STORM SYSTEM EXITS TO THE EAST.OF COURSE...THERE ARE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTIES AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION TYPES AND AMOUNTS IN THE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY TIME FRAME. THE SITUATION WILL BECOME MORE CLEAR AS ADDITIONAL DATA IS RECEIVED.

MUCH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE FORECAST FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND AS ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE REGION. LOW TEMPERATURES SATURDAY MORNING WILL ONLY BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS IN MOST AREAS.

THE HIGH WILL DEPART ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH WINDS BECOMING MORE SOUTHERLY AND A SLOW WARMUP OCCURRING. CLOUDS WILL INCREASE ONCE AGAIN...WITH SMALL CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION BY MONDAY AFTERNOON.

— www.noaa.gov