LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Here is the latest news on the severe weather and tornado-warned storms that moved through Arkansas on Thursday evening.
12:32 a.m.: The severe threat has now ended for people in Central Arkansas. However, the heavy rain threat will continue for a while longer.
There will be more severe weather coverage including any damage that may have happened overnight on Wake Up Central beginning at 4:30 a.m. on Friday.
10:11 p.m.: The tornado warning for Montgomery and Yell counties has expired.
9:50 p.m.: A tornado warning was issued for Montgomery and Yell counties until 10:30 p.m. Most of central Arkansas is still under a tornado watch. Power outages have decreased by 2,583 over the last hour but over 9,000 Arkansans are still powerless.
9:35 p.m.:
9:30 p.m.: The storm has now moved into the Maumelle area with a tornado warning in effect until at least 9:45 p.m.
9:20 p.m.: The storm is now moving toward Highway 10 toward County Farm Road heading toward Maumelle.
Our meteorologists have noted that this is a slow-moving storm and have advised that if you are in its path, you need to take cover.
9:10 p.m.: The storm is moving just west of where the March 31 tornado moved through Little Rock and North Little Rock.
9:00 p.m.: Around 8 p.m. a tornado was confirmed near Hot Springs Village. There are no reports of any injuries at this time.
There is a tornado warning for Pulaski and Saline counties until 9:45 p.m.
(We will continue to update this article with the latest info. The article below was regarding the chances of severe weather across the state.)
Original article: Stay weather-aware Thursday afternoon into the overnight as a cold front charges in from the west and northwest and could cause severe weather across Arkansas.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the latest Storm Prediction Center update has placed areas north and west of the Little Rock metro under a level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather. The rest of the state is mainly under a 2 out of 5 risk or a slight risk of severe weather.
Storms producing large to very large hail will be this event's main threat. In the dashed area, a couple of storms could produce hail the size of a tennis ball or baseball. Cities included in this zone include Russellville, Marshall, Mena, Mount Ida, and Clinton.
There is also the chance of damaging winds and a couple of quick tornadoes across most of the state.
Thursday will begin with clouds and a slight chance of spotty showers in the morning. A large part of the day should be dry and quiet.
However, the clouds will begin to break up later in the morning through the afternoon hours. The sun will send the temperatures soaring into the upper 70s and low 80s.
As the atmosphere becomes unstable, the first storms, which could go severe quickly, are expected to develop over NW AR and the Ozarks. These storms will likely produce hail, which could be very large. There is also the chance of tornadoes and damaging winds.
Later in the afternoon and evening, more storms are expected to fire up over west Arkansas and move towards central Arkansas. These storms could also produce hail, high winds, and maybe a tornado.
The storms are forecasted to merge into a line and slowly weaken as they move into more central Arkansas through the evening, which may impact the evening rush in the Little Rock metro.
With the slow nature of the line of storms, torrential rain may fall over the same areas, and flash flooding could become a concern for small creeks, low-lying areas, and poor drainage areas. Some neighborhoods could receive several inches of rain from this event.
All the severe weather should end by Friday morning. However, some rain could still linger over southeast Arkansas before noon.
Going into the weekend, temperatures will be cooler, with a mix of sun and clouds. Highs will climb into the upper 60s on Saturday and low to mid-60s on Sunday.
Stay with THV11 for the latest information and forecast. Also, make sure you have several ways of getting warning notifications if issued. A great way to stay informed is to download the THV11 app, which provides severe weather coverage when needed.
