This post was updated Monday afternoon to include school closings.
By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
A winter storm that swept over much of The Natural State late this weekend left a thin blanket of ice on Clark County.
Though less than anticipated, a mix of sleet and light snow fell late Sunday into Monday morning, leaving many streets and roadways with a layer of slick ice.
Aside from convenience stores, grocery chains and auto parts dealers, most businesses in Arkadelphia appeared closed for the day. Most commerce in Arkadelphia is quiet. As empty as they are, the parking lots of the city’s major retailers could serve as ice skating rinks — a stark contrast to the bustle of the days prior to the winter storm event, as droves of customers rushed to grocery stores in preparation of hunkering down for the bitter cold temperatures this week.
On the opposite side of town, nary a soul was seen in the desolate downtown area, the streets solid white with a thin but slick layer of sleet and snow.
The largest impact seems to have been the roadways, although few car accidents have been reported. Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson said law enforcement worked one minor accident on Interstate 30 in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 15.
Roads most affected by the icy conditions were state highways 26, 8 and 51, Watson said. I-30 was mostly clear in Clark County and had light traffic on it Monday.
Most businesses in Arkadelphia were closed Monday; some of them closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day. Activities celebrating the holiday — including the annual Marade — were postponed ahead of the wintry weather. Both Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist universities were closed. Arkadelphia Public Schools were closed in observance of the holiday.
With the mercury not expected to surpass the freezing mark for coming days, officials are encouraging people to stay off the roads if at all possible.
As snow continued to fall into Monday afternoon, Arkadelphia Public School officials announced that classes are canceled on Tuesday. Henderson will remain closed through Wednesday.
The Arkadelphia Board of Directors postponed its regularly scheduled meeting to Tuesday, Jan. 23.
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