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Arkansas could see strong to severe storms Friday; here's what to know

A line of storms may produce damaging winds, hail, and a couple of brief tornadoes as a cold front sweeps through Arkansas on Friday evening.
Credit: KTHV

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A cold front will sweep through the state Friday evening and early Saturday morning producing a line strong storms.

An important thing to note that there are some aspects in place that could cause some of the storms to potentially become severe.

Storms are expected to develop over Oklahoma during the late afternoon and early evening hours. These separate storms will strengthen rapidly and merge into a line as they push into Arkansas. 

Credit: KTHV

The timing of the storms will likely impact any high school football games west of the Little Rock metro that have not been rescheduled.

Here is an estimated timeline of when to expect the line of storms.

Credit: THV11 Weather

This line of storms should slowly weaken as it moves into central and east Arkansas through the late evening and early morning hours of Saturday.

The highest threat of severe weather is located in southwest Arkansas, with most of central Arkansas being under a low threat for severe storms. 

There's less of a chance in eastern Arkansas as the line of storms is expected reach that part of the state after midnight and the atmosphere will have less storm fuel to maintain severe storms.

Credit: KTHV

The main concern with the potential for severe storms will be the possibility  of producing damaging wind gusts of 60-70 mph. 

The threat of a brief tornado is low in central Arkansas and medium risk in southwest Arkansas. A few storms may also produce dime to quarter size hail.

Now, for the good news, most if not all of central Arkansas should see at least .50” of rain and some spots that see heavier downpours could receive 1 to 2” of rain. 

This rainfall will help out with the drought situation across the state. We still need several inches of rain to eliminate the drought entirely.

By sunrise on Saturday most, if not all of the rain will be exiting the state. From there, the rest of the weekend will be cooler and pleasant.

Stay with THV11 for the latest updates of the timing and severe weather threat potential for Arkansas.

Make sure to have the THV11 downloaded and weather notifications turned on.

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