Between Editions

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Union County and Union Parish, La. from 9:43 p.m. until around 11:30 p.m. Union County is also in a tornado watch until around 3:30 a.m., according to KNOE Channel 8 News.

 Is it just me, or has our neck of the woods become way more of a shooting gallery for dangerous weather this spring? Look to your right for information on local weather developments.

 Be careful out there, folks…

Brrr.

This video is from a Little Rock television station, carried through CNN. Keep watching and you’ll see a funnel cloud as it rips through a Bryant car dealership.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON
A car which was on display was flipped over onto the access road
at Everett Chevrolet at Alcoa Road and I-30 in Bryant during Thursday night’s storms.

If you don’t know by now, severe storms, including at least one tornado, ripped through Saline County and the Little Rock area Thursday night, overturning cars at a large dealership near Interstate 30 and ripping roofs off of homes. The Cammack Village area of Little Rock also sustained heavy damage, as did the North Little Rock airport. No reports of serious injuries at this time.

Click here for more from KTHV in Little Rock.
Click here for more, including a video, from ABC News.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/RICK MCFARLAND
North Little Rock firefighters at the North Little Rock Airport after a
tornado hit the area Thursday night.

**UPDATE** The Union County Sheriff’s Office is reporting today that no significant damage occurred during Friday night’s storms — just downed trees and some hail damage.

By JOHN WORTHEN
For Between Editions
Two rounds of powerful thunderstorms raked through Union County Friday evening, producing golfball-sized hail, heavy rain and high winds.

Officials with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La., issued a tornado warning for Union County at approximately 10:08 p.m. after Doppler radar indicated a possible tornado moving into the Smackover area from Ouachita County.

Earlier in the night, a separate storm caused hail and wind damage to parts of the county, according to a spokesman for the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Large hail reportedly pierced the roof of Amercable’s headquarters on Industrial Road, and numerous trees were also down throughout parts of the county.

A clerk who answered the phone at the SUMAC Mart in Smackover said that many buildings and residences in that city were without power as of 10 p.m. Friday.

This weather picture, which seems fitting today, given that we’re about to receive some thunderstorms, comes from Addie Tumey at Retta Brown. Tumey is in third grade.

Look for some powerful weather to hit Union County at or before the noon-time hour, according to the National Weather Service. A strong cold front will push through the area, bringing storms and cooler temperatures. There’s even a chance of snow tonight, although it shouldn’t cause any travel problems.

Just for fun, I looked up the record high for today’s date in history, thinking that our warm temperatures today might just be newsworthy. Well, it’s not quite that warm yet. Back in 1918, the temperature on Feb. 25 was a balmy 89 degrees. Bet the folks made several trips to the old ice house that day.

Today’s high will top out in the upper 70s.

Get out the umbrellas.

From the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La.

Looks like we’ll have to make plans indoors this weekend. Time for a good book. Check out the New York Times’ Best Seller list to find one.

From the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La.