The National Weather Service in Little Rock issued flood warnings Tuesday morning for two rivers in the state based on current conditions and forecasted rain. Flooding also forced the state highway department to close roadways.
The weather service said areas in Lawrence, Jackson and Independence counties near the Black River will experience minor flooding. The river was more than 2 feet above its flood state at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Flooding of the White River in Arkansas, Monroe, White and Woodruff counties is also possible, forecasters said. As of Tuesday morning, the river was near a crest, almost 1 foot above its flood stage, according to the weather service.
Flooding also caused highway closures in southern Arkansas. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department on Tuesday said that Arkansas 275 in Union County near Strong is closed because of high water, as is a portion of Arkansas 32 in Hempstead County south of Shover Springs.
In the morning, the department said that portions of Arkansas 63 and 160 in Bradley County were closed because of high water. They reopened about 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Southern Arkansas was inundated from Monday morning to Tuesday morning. According to the weather service, 6 inches fell in Moro Bay and 3.74 inches fell in Warren.
The National Weather Service also issued a heat advisory for all of central Arkansas that will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday and last until 7 p.m. Thursday.