Pine Bluff saw its coldest reading of 2025 so far Wednesday when the temperature dropped to 15.1 degrees.
That was the reading at Grider Field Airport at 5:53 and 6:53 a.m. The wind chill factor dropped to 4 degrees at 6:53 a.m. The previous low for this year in Pine Bluff was 18 on Monday and Tuesday.
The record low for Jan. 22 is 3, set in 1918. The coldest reading on record for Pine Bluff is minus 6 on Jan. 12 and 13, 1918.
The extreme cold, which produced a flurry of snow that did not stick to the ground Tuesday in Pine Bluff, was the result of high pressure from the Ohio Valley to the Southern Plains. Much of the Gulf Coast and Southeast was covered in snow due to the arctic air, but Arkansas evaded any snowstorms, unlike the case two weeks earlier.
Roman Diaz, operations manager for Liberty Utilities, the water service provider for Pine Bluff, said the company has averaged approximately 12 service orders per day related to frozen pipes this week, adding that crews are responding and assisting customers.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Over the last three years, we have increased our communication and community outreach efforts related to winterizing customer water pipes to help prevent freezing,” Diaz said. “We believe these education efforts, including events where we have provided customers with materials and demonstrations for proper winterization, along with the actions by our customers to protect their water systems, are resulting in fewer broken pipes and fewer emergency service requests.”
Liberty’s water system was stressed out during back-to-back winter storms in early 2021, causing decreases in water pressure and numerous fractures in water lines across Pine Bluff. That led the state attorney general’s office and the state Public Service Commission to require Liberty to invest heavily in upgrading its infrastructure in 2022.
“We have also taken actions over the last few years to harden our system against extreme weather,” Diaz said. “This includes adding generators at our water plants to help maintain service during power outages and installing technology that helps us to better monitor our water system so that we can respond faster when emergencies do occur.”
Diaz said Liberty thanks its customers for their diligence during this week’s cold snap. Customers are also asked to visit libertyenergyandwater.com to find information on how to prevent frozen pipes.
“We’re proud of our crews who are braving the bitter cold to respond to customers who need help and who are working to ensure our system and plants are operating properly for safe and reliable water service,” he said. “More frigid temperatures are in the forecast, so let’s keep working together.”
The National Weather Service predicted precipitation from what it calls a historic winter storm would continue through Wednesday morning for the Gulf Coast and Southeast, with areas of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain to come for the region from northern Florida up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
In Pine Bluff, the weather was predicted to be much more pleasant. Wednesday brought sunny skies with a high of 40, and Thursday’s high is to reach 47 amid mostly sunny skies. The low for Wednesday and Thursday nights is expected to fall to 22.
A steady warmup is expected going into the weekend as clouds move into the picture, according to the NWS. Saturday’s high is expected to be 52, but Saturday night and Sunday will see a significant chance of showers. Lows should stay above the freezing point of 32 degrees from Saturday night through Tuesday.