Today’s rains are expected to bring colder temperatures lasting through the workweek before warmer weather returns for the weekend.
“The cold front will be sweeping through the state overnight,” said Dan Koch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Little Rock field office. “This is going to bring us a little bit of a cool down. It’s not quite as extreme as some of the last couple of systems.”
Union County is currently under a hazardous weather outlook, which Koch said could be anything from scattered showers and thunderstorms to flooding and even isolated severe thunderstorms. It has rained steadily and remained cloudy so far today.
“Without something that’s more of a large, organized system, at this time of year, its kind of unlikely that we’ll see any major flooding,” Koch said. “The heaviest rainfalls tonight are forecast over toward southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana, but some of that stuff could get up more into south central Arkansas.”
Ashley County, directly west of Union County, is currently under a flash flood watch. Koch said Union County could also face flash flooding, depending on whether an isolated thunderstorm hits this area. Koch said rainfall could reach to between half an inch and an inch.
Flash flooding carries several safety risks. Those driving at night should be aware of large puddles covering the road; Koch said it is hard for drivers to appreciate the depth of puddles, especially at night. If the roadbed has been washed out, vehicles could be swept away in as little as six to 12 inches of water, Koch said.
“One of the things that is certainly one of the biggest killers is people in automobiles,” Koch said, noting that indoor flooding is also possible in a flash flood.
A cold front will sweep through the state tonight, hitting El Dorado in the early hours of the morning. Tomorrow’s high temperatures are in the 60’s, while the weather will remain cool and mild in the low and mid-70s throughout the workweek.
Rain chances are low throughout the weekend, Koch said, and the weather will warm to the 80’s on Saturday and Sunday.
“We’re just getting into that time of the year where we’re going to seesaw back and forth between a little bit cooler weather and a little bit warmer weather,” Koch said. “It’s just the nature of this time of the year. … It’s kind of the annual battle between the warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico and the cooler air from the Canadians.”
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].