Arkansas National Guard deployed to assist motorists due to icy roads

Robert Medley, Fort Smith Times Record
·2 min read

Arkansas State Police will get some help responding to the rescue of stranded motorists with teams from the Arkansas National Guard that will be available with Humvees.

At noon Monday, teams from the Arkansas National Guard were deployed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to help state police respond to help where they are needed in the deadly storm. A traffic fatality was reported Monday in Benton County due to icy roadways.

Teams from the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade were assigned to help Troop L of the Arkansas State Police at Lowell and Troop H out of Fort Smith, said Bob Oldham, spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard.

A vehicle hit a concrete barrier along Interstate 540 in Fort Smith Monday morning. A winter weather advisory was issued through 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.
A vehicle hit a concrete barrier along Interstate 540 in Fort Smith Monday morning. A winter weather advisory was issued through 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.

"They will be ready to assist as the weather starts hitting," Oldham said. Teams will be on patrol during 24-hour shifts as needed by state police. Teams will also be available to help in Clarksville, Forrest City and Newport, Oldham said.

A winter weather advisory was issued for eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas including Fort Smith and Van Buren through Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service reports. The Peak Innovation Center was closed Monday as well. The winter weather advisory was issued until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Fort Smith Public Schools officials announced the district switched to remote learning for Monday, Jan. 30 due to the wintry weather.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith closed Tuesday. All classes online and in-person were canceled.

All Sebastian County offices were closed Monday due to the weather.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas including Fort Smith and Van Buren until 6 a.m. Wednesday
A winter weather advisory has been issued for eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas including Fort Smith and Van Buren until 6 a.m. Wednesday

Freezing drizzle arrived in a wintry mix, the weather service reported. Sleet accumulated and roads were icy from Fort Smith to Fayetteville. A number of wrecks were reported due to icy roadways.

Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian counties are under the advisory in Arkansas until Wednesday. In Oklahoma, counties under the advisory include Le Flore, McIntosh and Sequoyah counties.

Cities included in the advisory were Charleston, Fort Smith, Ozark and Van Buren in Arkansas. In Oklahoma, Arkoma, Checotah, Roland, Poteau and Sallisaw were under the advisory.

Anyone driving a vehicle should plan on slippery road conditions through Wednesday. Hazardous conditions affected morning and evening commutes, the weather service reported. Motorists are urged to slow down on icy roadways.

Icy roads will be a hazard through Wednesday morning in a wintry mix of weather in eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, the National Weather Service reported Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.
Icy roads will be a hazard through Wednesday morning in a wintry mix of weather in eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, the National Weather Service reported Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.

A winter storm warning was issued in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas until 6 p.m. Monday. The warning area was to the east and north of Fort Smith and Sebastian County.

The chances for more icy weather increased after dark Monday. The low temperature early Tuesday was 27 degrees in Fort Smith.

There is a chance for freezing rain and sleet Tuesday with a high temperature of 30 degrees in Fort Smith. Temperatures will warm to 36 degrees Wednesday afternoon, the weather service reported.

Snow was also in the forecast for 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday in Fort Smith, the weather service reported.

Check swtimes.com for updates on road conditions and school closings.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Fort Smith weather: Wintery mix could bring icy roads until Wednesday