Snow, ice cause closures

Photo by Randy Moll Lania Perez, 11, rides an inner tube down a snow-covered hill in Gentry on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013....
Photo by Randy Moll Lania Perez, 11, rides an inner tube down a snow-covered hill in Gentry on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013....

— What began as a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet on Thursday turned to snow, 7 to 8 inches deep, before it quit falling on Friday. The result was closing of schools and businesses and canceling of area church services and events.

Public schools in Decatur, Gentry and Gravette closed Thursday due to weather-service warning of the impending storm and stayed closed through Tuesday. Students and teachers enjoyed the off time and some took advantage of the days to play in the snow, which was somewhat of an unusual event for the area this early in the season. Of course, the lost classroom time will have to be made up along the way or at the end of the school year for students.

Rescheduled events will be posted to the Eagle Observer Facebook page as soon as they become available.

Area roads and highways were 100 percent snow and ice covered through much of Sunday. Though Arkansas Highway 59 was pretty much just wet on Monday morning with a few spots of ice still remaining, east and west highways were somewhat worse for travel and country roads and city streets remained completely snow and ice covered, making travel, whether by car or on foot, somewhat treacherous.

Local police departments reported few accidents during the inclement weather. Most, they said, involved vehicles sliding off the road into the ditch. No house fires were reported. Gravette's ambulance service made 18 medical runs through Monday — nine to Gravette, six to Decatur, two to Sulphur Springs, and one to Maysville.

Though temperatures remained below the freezing mark for several days, the National Weather Service has forecast slightly warmer temperatures in the second half of this week, with rain and freezing rain included in the forecast. Daytime temperatures near the 40-degree mark are expected to reduce the effects of the recent frozen precipitation.

NW News on 12/11/2013