Storms cut electricity to 10,000

Scattered storms that popped up across the southern half of the state Tuesday knocked power out to nearly 10,000 people and toppled trees, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock said.

At its peak at 3:30 p.m., 10,976 customers of Entergy Arkansas Inc. were without electricity. Most of the service disruptions were in Garland, Lafayette, Union and Columbia counties. Entergy spokesman Sally Graham said repair crews expected to restore service by late Tuesday or early today.

Most of the disruptions were caused by fallen trees or lightning strikes, Graham said.

Also, Southwestern Electric Power Co. reported nearly700 customers without power in Hempstead, Pike and Little River counties Tuesday afternoon.

The storms formed quickly as warm surface air rose to meet an upper-level system of cold air over the state.

“We had some small storms intensify briefly,” said meteorologist Willie Gilmore of North Little Rock. “They were scattered across the central and southern regions of the state.

“We had cold air aloft and dry, warm air that created the instability,” he said. “There were pockets of strong winds.”

The weather service issued a wind advisory for much of the state from 1-7 p.m. Tuesday.

Winds speeds of 54 mph were recorded in Hot Springs and in Arkadelphia, Gilmore said. The weather service station in North Little Rock recorded a 36 mph wind gust Tuesday afternoon.

Winds preceded the actual storms in some cases, which was indicative of the system’s potential for building quickly in intensity, he said.

Central Arkansas saw pea size hail, and Gilmore said the weather service received reports of downed trees in some areas. There were no reports of damage to buildings or houses, he said.

The system moved east out of the state Tuesday evening.

Temperatures are forecast to climb into the 70s in central Arkansas today and to the upper 60s in the northeast as clouds diminish, Gilmore said. Temperatures will continue to rise Thursday and are forecast to hit 75 degrees in Little Rock.