DECATUR — A blast of arctic air kept snow on the ground and children out of school last week.

About four inches of snow fell on Jan 2 and 3, followed by unusually cold temperatures. While main highways cleared quickly, side streets and back roads remained slippery. Then, on the evening of Jan. 6, a mist of freezing rain made side streets even more hazardous. Nighttime lows on Thursday and Friday hovered near zero, while daytime highs barely cleared double digits as gentle snow flurries continued to fall.

John G. Hehr, of Fayetteville, state climatologist from 1979-2005, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Arkansas is experiencing a weather pattern that he hasn’t seen since 1989. The polar jet stream has pushed cold air down over Arkansas from the north, while Alaska is getting warm air from the south.

Sitka, Alaska, had a high of 49 degrees on Friday and a low of 44, according to the National Weather Service. In Decatur, morning lows were around zero, and in the afternoon the highs were around 10.

School children enjoyed an extended Christmas break. Decatur schools were set to resume on Jan. 4, but because of the weather, classes did not start until Jan. 11. Although there was still some snow on the back roads Monday, superintendent LeRoy Ortman said he hadn’t heard of any problems with the bus routes.

The extra days of vacation won’t come without a price though. The district had Feb. 15 - Presidents’ Day - scheduled as a snow make-up day. If there were no snow days before then, children would have had the holiday off, Ortman said.

Now students have five days of school to make up and will have to attend school on Presidents’ Day, as well as four extra days in June.

City water department manager Rocky Mills reported a fewwater customers had pipes frozen inside their homes. City water lines only froze in one spot, Mills said.

The Decatur Community Building was designated as a warming center, but was not used by residents, according to Susan Krafft, director of communications and special events for the Northwest Arkansas Red Cross.

The additional winter weather on Jan. 6 didn’t cause many traffic problems in Decatur, according to police chief Terry Luker.

“There were a few people slipping around but nothing major,” he said.

Weather forecasts for this week predict warmer temperatures with daytime highs rising into the upper 40s, temperatures which may feel like spring after last week’s weather.

News, Pages 1 on 01/13/2010