Early Snow Takes County by Surprise Causing Accidents and Closures

BY MELANIE BUCK –

Activities began to slow and trees began to glimmer as snow blanketed Polk County Sunday evening and into Monday morning, taking many by surprise and leaving roads icy across the area. Cossatot River High School took their first snow day of the school year more than a week before Thanksgiving. Mena and Ouachita River School Districts remain open.

County officials have reported 3 vehicles accidents this morning. A one-vehicle wreck occurred south of Vandervoort, where a car ran into a ditch, with no injuries. An 18-wheeler was stuck on Hwy. 272, northwest of Mena on the side of Rich Mountain. It took 7 hours to bring the truck off of the mountain. An ice-slicked curve caused the third accident, a one-vehicle rollover that occurred just before 10 a.m. on Hwy. 88 East just past Ink, leaving the driver shaken but uninjured.

Having snow before winter actually arrives is something this area doesn’t see too often. This is only the 6^th time that snow has been recorded in Mena in November since 1900, and with areas around the county reporting as much as 2.5 inches, it will make the 2^nd largest amount in November since 1971, where 3 inches was recorded in a 24-hour period.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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