State shivers through cold spell
Arkansas joins Plains, Midwest for subfreezing New Year’s
A brutal freeze firmed its grip on Arkansas over the New Year’s holiday, taking temperatures near zero overnight in parts of the state with an increase in temperatures expected today.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock issued three 12-hour alerts for the state beginning at 10 p.m. Monday: a wind chill advisory for most of Arkansas; a hard freeze warning for portions of the southeast; and a hazardous weather outlook in the northeast corner.
The forecast called for single digits Monday night in the upper two-thirds of the state, with temperatures expected to fall as low as 1 degree Fahrenheit in several places in Northwest and north-central Arkansas, including Benton, Carroll, Boone, Marion and Baxter counties.
Temperatures are expected to climb to near freezing by midafternoon today. Most of the state will experience lows in the teens through Friday, the National Weather Service said. Normal lows in Arkansas for this time of year are in the 20s and 30s.
Such conditions can increase the chances of contracting hypothermia or frostbite, kill certain vegetation, leave car batteries lifeless and
damage infrastructure, often through frozen pipes or fires sparked by poor heating systems.
The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories covering a vast area from South Texas to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming through New England. Dangerously low temperatures enveloped much of the Midwest, including parts of Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, along with nearly all of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
Nationally, officials believe cold temperatures have contributed to three deaths. The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office said two bodies found Sunday — a man in his 50s found in an alley and a 34-year-old man — showed signs of hypothermia. Police believe cold weather also may have been a factor in the death of a man whose body was found near a river in Bismarck, N.D.
Temperatures dropped to a record-breaking minus 32 in Aberdeen, S.D., where the previous New Year’s Day record had stood for 99 years. It hit 15 below zero before midnight Sunday in Omaha, Neb., breaking a record low dating from 1884. The forecast for below-zero temperatures today prompted the Indianapolis School District to cancel classes on all its campuses. Students had been scheduled to return from winter break.
The cold extended well into the South, a region more accustomed to brief bursts of arctic air than prolonged below-zero temperatures.
Texas saw rare snow flurries Sunday night as far south as Austin as accidents racked up on icy roads across the state. Police said more than three dozen crashes were reported in 24 hours in the central Texas city of Abilene.
Arkansas officials prepared in advance for the bone-chilling weather. Little Rock Police and Fire departments led an effort to help unsheltered residents, which included driving them to area shelters and distributing blankets and hand and feet warmers.
“We know there are people out there who do not want shelter,” said Chris Porter, the city’s Homeless Services Advocate. “It is unfortunate, but we work with all people. The city of Little Rock is compassionate.”
Porter said police officers would continue to check on the homeless Monday night.
The threat of hypothermia didn’t keep some adventurers indoors.
State park officials canceled the guided First Day Hike at Pinnacle Mountain State Park on Monday morning, but they stuck around at the base trail to greet parkgoers with hot cocoa. Several bundled-up hikers were already on their way, winding up the rocky trail to the summit where a clear view of the Arkansas River Valley and Ouachita Mountains awaited.
Allison Stephens of North Little Rock adjusted her new ski mask before setting off to hike. The 28-year-old’s New Year’s resolutions included spending more time outdoors, away from her computer and iPhone screens.
“I couldn’t let a little cold make me fail on Jan. 1,” she said.
A group of paddlers also readied their canoes for a float down the Little Maumelle River, much to the park rangers’ surprise.
Jason Fischer, 36, of Little Rock declared that he wasn’t “crazy enough” to go canoeing, but he and Rocco, his Labrador retriever, planned to scale Pinnacle Mountain despite the late morning’s 18-degree temperature.
“The cold is way better than the hot,” he said. “For both of us.”
Information for this article was contributed by Hunter Field of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and staff members of The Associated Press.
Little Rock Police and Fire departments led an effort to help unsheltered residents, which included driving them to area shelters and distributing blankets and hand and feet warmers.