Strong winds and large hail are possible in the state this week in the year's first chances for widespread severe weather, the National Weather Service said Monday.
Emilie Nipper, a meteorologist with the weather service in North Little Rock, said a system will push a cold front into Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon into night, triggering the chance for severe storms across that region. Hail and damaging winds are the primary threats.
The weather service's Storm Prediction Center lists roughly the northwest corner of the state under a slight risk for severe weather and some points south and east under a marginal risk.
On Wednesday into Thursday, a second cold front will spur chances for severe storms across the entire state, again potentially producing damaging winds and hail, Nipper said.
Temperatures, meanwhile, will dive after the cold fronts move through. Lows Friday into Saturday are expected to dip below freezing in northern Arkansas and into the mid- to upper-30s for points farther south.
