Forecasters said sunny, "spring-like" weather could push temperatures into the 70s in parts of Arkansas this weekend before potentially dangerous storms at the start of next week.
Wet and windy weather is a near certainty for the start of next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Dalton said Thursday. The severity of those storms largely depends on when they reach the state, Dalton said.
"There's still some timing difference" between two models being tracked at the National Weather Service North Little Rock office, Dalton said, "but right now it's looking like a pretty significant system."
Dalton explained that the the earlier a storm arrives Monday evening, the more it will mix with warm air, increasing the likelihood of strong winds, hail and tornadoes. Overnight, cooler temperatures tend to produce weaker storms he said.
The weather is still too far out for forecasters to give detailed assessments or warnings.
While temperatures may reach into the low 70s this weekend in parts of Arkansas, the North Little Rock office did offer a reminder that winter is not yet over.
According to records dating back to 1874 in Little Rock, 40 percent of snowfall totals have occurred in January, versus 27 percent in February, and 17 percent in December.
Little Rock has recorded more than 5 inches of snow in February 14 times, the weather service said, five of which have come in the last 15 years.
Temperatures at the start of next week will be too warm to produce anything but rain in central Arkansas, Dalton said, but some minor flurries may appear in Northwest Arkansas from wrap-around moisture as the storm leaves the state late Tuesday night.
An unusually mild December was followed by a January storm that dumped more than 7 inches in parts of Arkansas.