4 25 P.M. UPDATE:
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for White and Woodruff counties.
A radar detected rotation within the storm, the weather service said. The warning area includes Augusta, Higginson and McCrory. Anyone in that area is asked to take shelter.
As of 4:21 p.m., the storm was 2 miles southwest of Higginson and moving east at 50 mph.
The warning will stay in effect until 5 p.m.
4 P.M. UPDATE:
The National Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for five Arkansas counties Saturday.
A thunderstorm with 60-mph winds and nickel-sized hail was located near Cabot, moving northeast, prompting the weather service to place Lonoke, Woodruff and White counties under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:45 p.m.
A different, but similar, storm was located north of Searcy and is moving northeast. The weather service placed parts of Jackson, Independence and White counties under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:30 p.m.
PREVIOUS:
While Northwest Arkansas is under the threat of winter weather, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for 23 of the state’s eastern counties Saturday afternoon.
At 1:45 p.m., the weather service issued the watch for Arkansas, Cleveland, Cross, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Poinsett, White, Bradley, Craighead, Desha, Jackson, Lincoln, Monroe, Prairie, Woodruff, Clay, Crittenden, Drew, Jefferson, Lonoke, Phillips and St. Francis counties. It will stay in effect until 9 p.m.
About 20 minutes before the weather service issued the tornado watch, it put six Northwest Arkansas counties under a winter weather advisory. Benton, Carroll, Washington, Madison, Crawford and Franklin counties could see sleet, snow and negative wind chills overnight. The advisory expires at midnight.
Boone and Newton counties are also under a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Saturday to midnight.
Randolph, Clay, Lawrence, Greene, Craighead, Poinsett, Mississippi and Crittenden counties were also placed under a winter weather advisory that begins at 10 p.m. Saturday, an hour after the tornado watch ends, and lasts until 6 a.m. Sunday.