Weather statement

Issued by The National Weather Service
Little Rock, AR

Thu, May 2, 2013, 4:37 AM CDT

... PREPARE FOR NEAR RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES...

AN UNUSUALLY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ARKANSAS TODAY AND TONIGHT... WITH SHOWERS OVERSPREADING THE STATE BEHIND THE FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRAMATICALLY BEHIND THE FRONT... WITH READINGS IN THE MID 30S IN THE NORTHWEST AND WEST BY SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING. IN THE CENTRAL AND EAST... READINGS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 40S TO NEAR 50. THESE TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR RECORD LOWS FOR EARLY MAY.

THE FLOW OF COLD AIR INTO THE REGION WILL BE ENHANCED BY AN UNUSUALLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA... WHICH IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE REGION BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT.

THE STRENGTH AND DEPTH OF THE COLD AIR WILL ALLOW FOR SOME OF THE SHOWERS TO MIX WITH OR MAYBE CHANGE OVER TO SNOW IN THE FAR NORTHWEST LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THERE COULD BE A FEW BRIEF BURSTS OF HEAVY SNOW AS WELL. HOWEVER... GROUND TEMPERATURES WILL KEEP POTENTIAL ACCUMULATIONS IN CHECK... AND ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MINOR AND LIMITED TO GRASSY AREAS AND ELEVATED SURFACES.

THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA IS EXPECTED TO MEANDER AROUND THE MID SOUTH FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THIS WILL KEEP THE COLD AIR OVER THE REGION... AS WELL AS RAIN CHANCES. ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY... PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY MIX WITH SNOW AGAIN IN THE FAR NORTHWEST. HOWEVER... ANY ACCUMULATIONS WOULD AGAIN BE MINOR.

TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY MORNING WILL FALL CLOSE TO FREEZING IN PORTIONS OF THE NORTH AND WEST. PEOPLE WITH SENSITIVE OUTDOOR PLANTS AND VEGETATION MAY NEED TO TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT THEM FROM COLD TEMPERATURES.