Pine Bluff and surrounding areas are under a winter weather advisory through 6 a.m. Tuesday, as temperatures are expected to drop below 30 degrees.
A 70% chance of precipitation was forecast for Pine Bluff on Monday afternoon with a high of 35 degrees. As of 3:27 p.m., the temperature at Grider Field Airport was 34 degrees. For Monday evening, there was a 50% chance of rain or freezing rain followed by partly cloudy skies with a low of 25, the lowest reading for Pine Bluff since Feb. 21 (20 degrees).
The advisory issued by the National Weather Service North Little Rock office covers Grant, Jefferson, Dallas and Cleveland counties in Southeast Arkansas.
Due to the threat of icy roads overnight into Tuesday, Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson has announced all county offices will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The city of Pine Bluff announced Monday night all city offices including City Hall, Parks and Recreation centers and other administrative offices would operate on a two-hour delay Tuesday.
“In alignment with the two (2) hour delay, Pine Bluff Transit will suspend all services until 8 a.m.,” the city said through its message alerts. “Essential services, including public safety and emergency operations, will continue to operate as normal. For emergencies, please contact 911.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
None of Jefferson County’s school districts have made a decision on whether to open campuses late or close them. The Watson Chapel School District said in a Sunday statement that it was monitoring the potential for inclement weather in the area.
Should weather conditions change, the district said it would promptly communicate any decision on a delayed start or school closure through its messaging system, website and social media platforms.
Tuesday’s outlook for Pine Bluff calls for sunny skies with a high of 41, but roads may turn icy again that evening with a low of 24. More precipitation will hammer Pine Bluff on Wednesday and Thursday nights as Wednesday’s daytime high is expected to reach 50 and Thursday night’s low is expected to be 28.
During the advisory, mixed precipitation is expected across the state. Total snow and sleet accumulations “up to a few tenths of an inch” are forecast across northern and central Arkansas, and ice accumulations ranging from 0.1-0.2 of an inch are possible in west, central, east and northeast Arkansas.