By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Enough snow fell in the Jacksonville area midday Friday to allow the firefighters at Station No. 1 on Redmond Road to build a snowman, complete with a firefighter’s hat, in front of the station.
Officially, the National Weather Service said the snowstorm that rolled through the state leaving as much as a foot or more in spots, dropped about two inches of snow on Jacksonville and Cabot.
The weather service said the snow started falling in earnest in the late morning and tapered off by 3 p.m. in Jacksonville, and a little later in Cabot. Snow flurries continued off and on through the evening.
The threat of the snow and traffic problems caused the Pulaski County Special School District and Cabot schools to cancel classes Friday.
Beebe schools were open, but closed about two hours early Friday afternoon.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said she closed city hall offices about 1 p.m. “We have some people who live out of town, and it was a matter of their safety,” she said.
Mayor Tommy Swaim of Jacksonville sent most of his city hall employees home by 3 p.m. for the same reason. Cabot city hall also closed early.
Sherwood, Jacksonville and Cabotpolice said traffic problems were minimal through Friday afternoon.
“We assisted the state police with an accident on southbound Hwy. 67/167 around noon at mile marker six,” Sherwood Police Officer Ryan Baker said. That accident backed up southbound highway traffic two miles for about an hour.
Jacksonville police said accidents started increasing after 1 p.m., but all had been minor.
The weather service said the sun would come out Saturday and temperatures would hit near 40 degrees and close to 50 on Sunday.
The weather service said 18 inches of snow fell in parts of Stone County, 14 inches near Mountain View and up to 12 inches around Marshall.
