Jefferson County offices will remain closed Thursday, County Judge Gerald Robinson said Tuesday evening.
The decision was a quick pivot from a plan to resume operations starting at 10 a.m. Thursday and Friday. Robinson said via text at 5:03 p.m. the parking lots and main roadways were clear in announcing his original decision, but nearly three hours later he reversed course, adding many county employees called and said they could not get out of their residences.
It is now undetermined whether county offices will reopen Friday.
Despite the increasing daytime highs, the threat of nighttime lows near 10 degrees has given Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers pause for reopening in-person city services until Monday at the earliest.
The city, however, will resume operations virtually at 10 a.m. Thursday, Flowers confirmed. She said the two-hour delay from the usual start of business will give directors and supervisors a chance to get their laptops and information technology permissions, and to charge their phones. Flowers said the city will operate virtually through Friday and resume in-person operations Monday.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“While we are still working to clear city streets and intersections between state highways and side streets, we are concerned about reopening in person with all the schools and day cares closed until Monday and safety on remaining ice,” Flowers said.
The Pine Bluff School District has closed campuses for Thursday and Friday. The White Hall and Watson Chapel school districts will remain closed Thursday, but neither of those have committed to a status for Friday.
Virtual instruction and operations at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas College will continue through the end of this week, and in-person classes will resume Monday. The University of Arkansas at Monticello campuses will remain operating virtually Thursday.
Wednesday’s high was 41 amid fair skies, the second-warmest day since the winter storm arrived Friday evening. Tuesday’s high was 42. Thursday will begin with dense freezing fog, but partly sunny skies will emerge with a high of 46, according to the National Weather Service. The low for Thursday evening is expected to be 27.
Any melting of snow could refreeze into ice at night for the rest of this week, however. The Weather Service predicts nighttime lows for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be 13, 11 and 21, respectively.