Temperatures fell slightly over the weekend and on Monday across the state, but forecasters say Arkansans will see the heat rise again by midweek, and they expect to issue more heat advisories.
Most of Arkansas experienced mid-90s temperatures Monday -- a drop from the upper 90s Thursday and Friday. That dip, coupled with lower humidity levels, made being outside a bit more bearable Monday.
Last week, the heat index -- the measurement of how hot it feels when relative humidity is factored in with actual air temperature -- was measured at 113 degrees in Searcy. Other areas in eastern and central Arkansas recorded heat indexes of up to 111 degrees.
More cloud cover kept temperatures lower Monday, and there was a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight in central Arkansas. However, as that system moves out of state, the heat will return, said Dennis Cavanaugh, a National Weather Service meteorologist in North Little Rock.
"There's no real obvious rainmakers headed our way," Cavanaugh said. "We will trend toward more moderate, dry conditions over the next week."
He expects humidity to rise again, and the Weather Service could issue heat advisories in some areas Wednesday when the heat index is forecast to reach 105 degrees. The Weather Service also issues excessive-heat advisories when the heat index climbs to 110 degrees or above.
The southwest United States has experienced record temperatures in recent days, The Associated Press reported. Phoenix reached 118 degrees Monday, topping the 115-degree mark set on that date 48 years ago. The Arizona city also hit 116 degrees Sunday.
Las Vegas reported 115 degrees Sunday, which also was a record high for the day.
Five people died in Arizona due to the heat, The Associated Press reported. Four hikers died on separate trails near Tucson. Another woman died after mountain biking near Phoenix.
The heat is already stressing air conditioners in Arkansas.
Melanie DuBose, owner of Dubose Heating and Air Conditioning in Little Rock, said service calls have more than doubled in the past week. By noon Monday, the business received 12 calls for service.
"We've had to turn folks away because we're so backed up," she said.
"It's more important in the summer," DuBose said. "Oddly enough, people can do longer without heat than they can without air conditioning."
In Jonesboro, heat claimed the life of a dog that was left outside too long over the weekend, said Julie Hill, office manager of the Jonesboro Family Pet Hospital.
She said the dog's owners let the pet outside and each thought the other let the dog back inside. The dog remained outside for several hours and succumbed to the heat, she said.
"It's not safe out there," Hill said.
If owners leave animals outside, they should ensure the pets have plenty of shade and cool water available, Hill said.
"If you take your dog for a walk, put your hand on the asphalt first," she said. "If you can't leave it on the road for more than 10 seconds without your hand getting hot, it's too hot for your dog.
"They don't have shoes," she said. "With the heat the way it's been, it doesn't take too long for them to get in trouble."
Scott Adams, commander of the Blytheville Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, said he sees violent crime increase during heat spells.
"There's always more shootings, more domestics and more stabbings," he said. "People get outside in the summer, they get hot and tempers get on edge.
"The hotter it gets, the stupider they get."
Climatologists were concerned that last week's hot spell in Arkansas could be an indication of an oncoming drought comparable to one in 2012. Seven counties in Northwest Arkansas are considered "abnormally dry," which means the counties have had a deficit of 1 to 2 inches of rainfall over a 30-day period.
In June 2012, 2 percent of the state was considered to be in a drought. A week later, 27 percent of Arkansas was in some form of drought.
"Now is not a bad time for dry weather," said Josh Bergstrom, a Washington County extension agent. "Everybody is finishing up [cutting] hay. If it were this dry two weeks from now, we may be in trouble.
"But in Washington County, we seem to always be two weeks away from either a flood or a drought."
Cavanaugh said long-range climate predictions indicate Arkansas could see higher temperatures than first expected because El Nino, the warming of Pacific Ocean waters near the equator that results in cooler, more moist temperatures in the southern U.S., has ended.
"When it gets hot, the heat doesn't contribute to bringing a lot of rainfall," Cavanaugh said. "It's going to be warm for a while."
State Desk on 06/21/2016