No surprise, the Pine Bluff, Watson Chapel and White Hall school districts have all announced their campuses will be closed Monday due to inclement weather.
“The safety of our scholars, staff and families remains our top priority,” the Watson Chapel School District said in a statement. “District leadership will continue to monitor conditions and will provide an update to the community (Monday) evening regarding operations for Tuesday, January 27, 2026.”
Pine Bluff School District Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said her district’s regular school board meeting originally set for Monday will be rescheduled.
“We will continue to monitor the conditions and will communicate any updates as needed,” Barbaree said.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will meet Sunday afternoon to decide on the status for Monday’s classes, based on the latest weather data and road conditions, a university spokesperson said. Dining hours on campus have been modified to protect the safety of students and dining staff, the spokesperson added.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Southeast Arkansas College will be closed Monday, and all classes, including those in-person, will operate virtually.
“Students should check their SEARK email and Canvas for instructions from their instructors,” SEARK stated, adding The Reef residence hall will remain open for residents.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello’s campuses and offices in Monticello, Crossett and McGehee will be closed, and all classes are canceled.
Sunday’s high was predicted to be in the low 20s, with a low Sunday night of 10. The high Monday is 27 with sun in the forecast.
Jefferson County
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said his staff had “pushed or pulled” numerous vehicles that had become stuck along icy roads.
“I lost track of how many people we helped, but there were 15 yesterday and more today,” Woods said Sunday.
The sheriff said most of the people who had met difficulty were those who couldn’t avoid to travel, such as first responders and Department of Correction employees trying to get to work. “Many of those people are driving small front-wheel-drive vehicles, and in this type of condition you really need all-wheel drive or something heavy that is rear-wheel drive.”
Some of the bigger thoroughfares have benefited from being treated by the state Department of Transportation, but all of the other secondary roads in the county are completely covered.
“I give kudos to residents who responded to our advisories to avoid non-essential travel,” Woods said. “I really thought we would encounter numerous accidents, considering the type of conditions we had, but there have been no accidents reported.”
Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff Police Department spokesperson John Worthen said he wasn’t aware of any major issues in the city that had been caused by the weather.
“We just ask that people stay off the roads if at all possible,” he said. “I know state police has helped several people in town who became stuck.”
Southeast Arkansas
Elsewhere in Southeast Arkansas, Desha County was recovering from Saturday night’s continuation of the winter storm. No one has been injured from accidents, but the sheriff’s office has been busy.
“Last night, it stormed freezing rain and we got 3 inches of sleet,” said Sheriff Mitch Grant. “The road conditions are terrible.”
He said the state Department of Transportation had been helping clear U.S. 65, and there was also work going on on secondary roads.
“We probably got 5 inches total of ice and sleet. Yesterday, I didn’t need to put my truck in four-wheel drive, but I couldn’t get off my own road this morning without doing it. Yeah, it’s a big mess. We’ve pulled 17 people out of ditches using straps and chains. The wrecker service we have, they won’t even get out in weather like this.”
An online site that tracks power outages said Desha County had some 12,000 customers and that about 1,200 were without power on Sunday morning. Grant said some C&L Electric Cooperative customers had lost power but that most or all had been reconnected. No other county in Southeast Arkansas was showing any power outages.
Grant said Monday’s warmer temperatures and the prediction of some sun will help, but Sunday, he said, would continue to be a challenge.
“I just now watched another vehicle slide off the road,” Grant said.