Rain to move out; drier air in extended forecast

Rain possibly will linger in parts of Arkansas through the early evening, but drier, warmer conditions are on tap for the rest of the week, forecasters said.

Jeff Hood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, said scattered showers will largely drop a 1/10 inch to 1/4 inch of rain across central and southern Arkansas. West-central Arkansas could get a bit more with up to an inch.

The rainfall is expected to begin to clear by the late afternoon or early evening and largely stay out of the forecast through the weekend.

Temperatures will warm, too, with highs across the state expected in the 70s over the next few days. Some places may reach the 80s by the weekend, including Little Rock, where a high of 80 is forecast Sunday and Monday.

"Obviously we've been dealing with fairly cool conditions the past few days, but temperatures will start to warm up to near-normal," Hood said, adding the extended forecast is "going to be those nice, spring-like days."

The dry weather should bring relief as most of the state, except for parts of northern Arkansas, have experienced surplus rainfall so far this year. In Little Rock, 20.2 inches of rain have fallen (not counting Tuesday's sogginess), about 3.7 inches more than the 16.51-inch normal total for this point in the year.

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