Local Schools, Businesses Close As Cold Front Leads to Icy Roads

  • DISTANT MEMORY NOW - Icicles dangle from the edge of awnings in the downtown area of Rison last Thursday and Friday after Cleveland County was hit with a polar cold front last week. A round of light freezing rain, sleet and snow fell from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, coating roadways and roof tops in ice. After the sun came out Wednesday afternoon, much of that frozen precipitation melted and froze again overnight to form the icicles. Temperatures bounced back into the 70s by Tuesday.
    DISTANT MEMORY NOW - Icicles dangle from the edge of awnings in the downtown area of Rison last Thursday and Friday after Cleveland County was hit with a polar cold front last week. A round of light freezing rain, sleet and snow fell from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, coating roadways and roof tops in ice. After the sun came out Wednesday afternoon, much of that frozen precipitation melted and froze again overnight to form the icicles. Temperatures bounced back into the 70s by Tuesday.
    RISON - A polar cold front that plunged temperatures below the freezing mark for more than two days led to icy road conditions that forced local schools and businesses to close last Wednesday, Feb. 19. A wintry mix that included a light freezing rain, sleet and snow began falling last Tuesday evening, Feb. 18, and continued until about mid-morning on Wednesday. Accumulation could be described as a heavy dusting, though the precipitation appeared to be heavier in the northern part of the county. Still, there was enough frozen precipitation to lead to treacherous driving conditions. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) listed both Hwy. 79 and Hwy. 63 as having ice or slush last Wednesday. The Cleveland County Sheriff's Department reported on its Facebook page last Wednesday that all the roads they inspected were covered with a thin layer of ice and sleet, and that all the bridges were covered in ice.In anticipation of the wintry weather, the ARDOT maintenance station at Rison began pre-treating the state highways last Tuesday in advance to the freezing precipitation. Those crews also used plows on Wednesday to clear roadways of any accumulation.Driving conditions were treacherous enough that both the Cleveland County and Woodlawn School Districts dismissed classes for last Wednesday. Both schools were back in session on Thursday after some afternoon sun on Wednesday evaporated much to the moisture.The Cleveland County Courthouse at Rison also closed last Wednesday due to the inclement weather, according to a post on its Facebook page.Despite the frozen precipitation, there were no widespread power outages reported.While the icy roads did impact local travel, an even bigger impact was probably the temperatures. After falling below the freezing mark Tuesday night, the temperatures did not get above freezing again until Friday afternoon. High temperatures were in the upper 20's to near 30 on Wednesday, and in the mid 20'...

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