Residents throughout the region awoke early Sunday (March 2) to cold temperatures and icy conditions caused by a frigid blast of overnight winter weather.
By 5 a.m. Sunday, ice was coating elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses in Northwest Arkansas, creating slick driving conditions.
A few hours later, the Arkansas State Police were reporting numerous accidents caused by slick roads.
According to 5NEWS Meteorologist Tyler Southard, winter conditions early Sunday in Northwest Arkansas included a mix of freezing rain and sleet, as the rest of the region experienced rain ahead of the cold front. However, as temperatures plunge below freezing throughout the day, rain in the River Valley was expected to change into freezing rain and sleet, he said.
By midday, thunderstorms were expected to blow through Northwest Arkansas, he said, followed later in the night by snowstorms. On early Monday (March 3), the region could expect to see single-digit temperatures, Southard said.
