Much of Arkansas is under a risk for severe weather as a storm system travels toward the state Tuesday, kicking off a week in which several inches of rain are expected to fall, forecasters said.
A storm developing in Oklahoma will move into Northwest Arkansas by 10 p.m. Tuesday and reach central Arkansas by 6 a.m. Wednesday as it travels east across the state, meteorologist Brian Smith said.
Forecasters said the storms could turn severe Tuesday night with quarter-sized hail and damaging winds posing the greatest threat, but isolated tornadoes in Northwest Arkansas are possible.
On Wednesday, the threat moves east, with the greatest area of concern east of the Texarkana to Yellville line. National Weather Service meteorologist Marty Trexler said 1 to 2 inches of rain, in addition to large hail, could fall across Arkansas before the system exits the state Wednesday afternoon.
Tornadoes and flash flooding are possible but unlikely, he said.
Sunny, dry weather will return Thursday before another storm system capable of producing severe weather moves into the state by Friday, according to the weather service.
"With these two storms there is a greater percentage of people that will be affected by this severe weather," Trexler said. "People need to review their severe weather protocol."
With more moisture in the air to fuel the storm, Friday's system will likely be more potent, Smith said. Forecasters expect the storm to bring several rounds of showers and thunderstorms as it moves along the Interstate 30 corridor in the western part of the state.
Some areas, primarily those in the southwest, could receive an additional 5 inches of rain, bringing the total rainfall amount over five days to 7 or 8 inches, Smith said.