Heavy snow blankets area

For awhile everyone feared it might be deja vu. A massive winter storm was predicted for all of the northern half of Arkansas at almost exactly the same date when a destructive ice storm hit this area last year -- the last days of January.

Would there be heavy ice again and power outages? The whole town seemed to hold its collective breath, even though meteorologists promised mostly snow.

And snow it was. Lots of snow, estimated at eight to nine inches in most of this area. The winter blast deposited very little ice in its initial volley which began with sleet about 2 a.m. Friday, and a light snow in the early daylight hours Friday morning quickly turned into something resembling a blizzard, with heavy snow and strong winds creating huge drifts in some areas.

While the heavy snowfall did create its own set of challenges, including some travel difficulties, the overall effect did not compare in any way to the major ice storm last year. No power outages have been reported in this area.

In Rector, the street department went to work quickly, clearing roads to make travel possible.

"We were out there immediately," said city superintendent Todd Watson. "We got to it right away and hit every road in town. In that situation, you can't clean each road off completely, but we made it where you could at least go up and down each street."

The street department began working on the roadways at 5 a.m., since any work prior to that time would have been made moot by the consistent downpour. Using heavy equipment such as backhoes and snowplows, the dedicated crew stayed on the job into the night, also using handheld shovels where needed. They finally "called it a day" at 9 p.m., but work began again at 5 a.m. Saturday, with the crew continuing its efforts to improve road conditions.

"We just wanted to make the roads as safe to use as we could," Watson said. "The guys put in a lot of hours, and you can see where it makes a big difference on our streets."

The snow also led to the cancellation of classes at Rector schools. Classes were cancelled Friday, Monday and Tuesday, with the difficulty in travel on rural bus routes factoring heavily into the closings.

As roadways continue to be cleared and temperatures rise, classes may resume as early as today (Wednesday).

The snow did offer a wealth of fun for many local children, families and the young-at-heart. While the powdery snow was difficult to pack at first, condensation and a little extra effort paid off for those seeking to play in the snow. Several snowmen and countless snowballs were made, as people of all ages found time to play in the snow.

With weather forecasts for temperatures in the mid to upper 40s over the remainder of the week, the snow will mostly likely not be around long.