It’s a hard-freeze morning, then temps nudge upward

TEXARKANA — Roads will remain slick and dangerous as another hard freeze warning is in effect until 10 a.m. today.

The freeze warning is for Texarkana, Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas.

Sub-freezing temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees are expected, according to the National Weather Service in Shreveport.

Police and highway department officials are still wanting people to stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary.

Traffic is moving — although slowly — on Interstate 30, Interstate 49 and other major highways but secondary roads are not as in good condition.

Texarkana Texas Police Officers worked a rollover crash Thursday night on St. Michael Drive where the driver lost control and flipped over in the ditch. No one was seriously injured.

Snow that melted Friday afternoon was expected to refreeze overnight and could result in black ice, according to the NWS.

Black ice can form on any road but also along curbs and drainage areas. It is most common at night but can still be around in the morning.

Hard freeze conditions could also result in damage to exposed pipes and additional water main breaks are expected. Power outages continue across portions of the area leaving some without means of heating their home and increasing the risk of frozen indoor plumbing as well.

To prevent additional bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.

Recorded high and low temperatures for Texarkana have been offline, according to the National Weather Service.

Texarkana broke a daily weather record on Tuesday but information on any other daily records is not yet available, said Jason Hansford, meteorologist with NWS.

On Tuesday, the recorded temperature of -1 degrees was the coldest on that date since 1903 when a temperature of 9 was recorded, according to the NWS.

Texarkana received about eight inches of snow Wednesday, Hansford said. That brings the total for the week to about 15 inches in most locations with higher amounts in isolated areas.

“There was a swath from northern Miller County into Hempstead County where there could have been closer to 19 or 20 inches,” Hansford said.

A warming trend is on the way. The high Friday was expected to climb into the mid-30s.

Saturday’s forecast shows a high of 43 and Sunday’s high could reach 48.

Staff photos by Kelsi Brinkmeyer right Snow and ice still layer many roads in Texarkana and the surrounding areas, and the melting snow is expected to freeze again overnight. The road shown is Corporate Drive in Texarkana, Texas.

above A truck drives through the layers of snow and ice that melted Friday on Galleria Oaks Drive in Texarkana, Texas. The melt is expected to freeze over as temperatures drop below freezing again Friday night.