5:47 P.M. UPDATE
The National Weather Service says it will send a crew to Brinkley on Thursday to determine whether storm damage was caused by a tornado.
The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management on Wednesday afternoon reported extensive tree damage in Brinkley as a tornado-warned storm moved through the city.
Power lines in Monroe County were also reportedly damaged in the storm.
As of about 5:40 p.m., more than 2,100 Entergy Arkansas customers were without power in Monroe County.
The company’s outage map showed more than 14,000 residents and businesses statewide in the dark at that time.
No active tornado warnings were in effect as of 5:45 p.m., but a tornado watch was in effect for much of southeast Arkansas until 11 p.m.
— Brandon Riddle
4:53 P.M. UPDATE
Seventeen counties in southeast Arkansas are now included in a tornado watch that is in effect until 11 p.m.
Those counties are Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln, Monroe, Ouachita, Prairie, Union and Woodruff.
The Storm Prediction Center on Wednesday evening removed several counties from a tornado watch in central, east and southwest Arkansas.
— Brandon Riddle
4:26 P.M. UPDATE
A second tornado warning is now active in eastern Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service.
The latest warning encompasses Monroe, Prairie and Woodruff counties. It is in effect until 5 p.m.
The weather service said storms capable of producing tornadoes were over Hallsville moving east at 50 mph.
Affected locations include Interstate 40 between mile markers 191, near Hazen, and 218, which is near Brinkley.
— Brandon Riddle
4:17 P.M. UPDATE
A tornado warning has been issued for portions of Arkansas, Jefferson, Lonoke and Prairie counties.
That warning is in effect until 4:45 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Around 4:10 p.m., thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes and straight-line wind damage were near Humnoke moving east at 55 mph.
Ping-pong ball size hail is possible with the storms, officials said.
— Brandon Riddle
3:21 P.M. UPDATE
The Storm Prediction Center has downgraded southeast Arkansas from a moderate risk for thunderstorms to turn severe.
That area of the state as well as portions of south and east Arkansas now face an enhanced risk for severe weather.
The enhanced designation, just below moderate, means that numerous storms are possible Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters say the main threats are tornadoes, wind damage and large hail up to 2 inches in diameter.
Around 3:10 p.m., the National Weather Service in North Little Rock dropped seven more counties from the tornado watch area.
Those counties are Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline, Cleburne, Independence, Pike and Sharp.
— Brandon Riddle
2:37 P.M. UPDATE
After-school activities and athletic events associated with the Little Rock School District have been canceled because of the threat of severe weather, a spokeswoman said.
In a statement sent out to parents, district spokeswoman Pamela Smith said buses are still scheduled to run their normal routes.
The CARE Program, an after-school child care service, will remain open, though Smith advised parents to pick up their students as soon as possible.
— Brandon Riddle
1:45 P.M. UPDATE
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock has removed 12 Arkansas counties from a tornado watch as storms continue to push through the state.
Those counties are Baxter, Conway, Fulton, Garland, Izard, Montgomery, Perry, Pope, Searcy, Stone and Van Buren and Yell.
A tornado watch still remains in effect for 45 other Arkansas counties until 5 p.m.
Southern and eastern Arkansas faces a risk for storms to turn severe Wednesday afternoon. The primary threats are large hail and isolated tornadoes, forecasters said.
— Brandon Riddle
12:30 P.M. UPDATE
A tornado watch has been issued for much of Arkansas, including Little Rock, ahead of storms that are expected to push eastward through the state Wednesday afternoon.
The watch encompasses 57 of the state’s 75 counties, according to the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. It is in effect until 5 p.m.
Forecasters say clouds thinning out during the afternoon hours could accelerate heating and increase the chances for severe weather.
Portions of central and southern Arkansas face a moderate risk for storms to turn severe, meaning widespread wind damage and strong tornadoes are possible.
Other areas of the state, including eastern and north Arkansas, face an enhanced risk for severe weather.
Damaging winds and tornadoes are the primary threats associated with storms Wednesday, the weather service said.
Just over 9,000 Entergy Arkansas customers were without power at the noon hour, primarily in Pope and Yell counties, according to the company.
— Brandon Riddle
11:30 A.M. UPDATE
More than 11,000 Entergy Arkansas customers were in the dark as of about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The bulk of the power failures were in the state’s River Valley region, according to the company’s outage map.
Nearly 7,500 homeowners and businesses were without power in Pope County, while nearly 3,500 outages were reported in neighboring Yell County.
Reports of damage associated with Wednesday morning’s storms have included downed trees in Pope, Conway and Benton counties, authorities said.
Two house fires were reported in Benton County, both caused by lightning, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
One blaze was in the Garfield area, the county’s emergency services administrator, Robert McGowen, told the newspaper. The second fire caused damage to a home in the Lowell area.
Thunderstorms were weakening before noon, but another threat for severe weather is expected Wednesday afternoon and into the evening hours, forecasters said.
No tornado warnings were in effect in Arkansas as of 11:30 a.m.
— Brandon Riddle
10:55 A.M. UPDATE
The National Weather Service has canceled tornado warnings issued earlier for Conway, Faulkner, Pope and Van Buren counties.
Nearly 10,000 Entergy Arkansas customers were without power as of Wednesday morning, according to the company's outage map.
Of the outages, nearly 7,000 customers were affected in Pope County, and about 2,600 were in the dark in Yell County.
— Brandon Riddle
10:30 A.M. UPDATE
A tornado warning has been issued for portions of Conway, Faulkner, Pope and Van Buren counties until 11:15 a.m.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was moving east at 55 mph over Happy Bend, which is about 12 miles northwest of Morrilton.
Golf-ball size hail is possible as the storm moves through the warning area, officials said.
— Brandon Riddle
10 A.M. UPDATE
New tornado warnings have been issued for parts of Perry, Conway, Yell, Pope and Logan counties.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock said a severe storm capable of producing a tornado was moving east at 65 mph. It was near Plainview in Yell County at 9:55 a.m. A storm capable of producing a tornado was about 10 miles southwest of Russellville at 10 a.m. and moving east at 45 mph.
The warnings, which are viewable in red on the map above, continue through 10:30 a.m.
— Gavin Lesnick
9:55 A.M. UPDATE
A tornado warning issued earlier Wednesday for northern Johnson County has been canceled.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock issued the warning at 9:30 a.m. after a severe storm capable of producing a tornado was detected near Woodland, or 9 miles northwest of Clarksville.
The warning was set to continue until 10:15 a.m., but it was canceled shortly before 10 a.m.
— Gavin Lesnick
9:30 A.M. UPDATE
A large part of Arkansas, including Little Rock, has been upgraded to a moderate risk for severe storms that will bring heavy rainfall, cloud cover, damaging winds and possibly tornadoes Wednesday, forecasters said.
A cold front stretching diagonally from Fort Smith to Eureka Springs is passing through the state, meteorologist Sean Clarke said Wednesday morning.
That front coupled with a “great deal” of wind energy means conditions are ripe for severe storms to erupt, he said.
Arkansans can expect a line of storms to push west to east through the state and be east of the Mississippi River by 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., Clarke said. Those storms will likely bring straight-line winds, hail up to an inch in diameter, heavy rainfall and possible tornadoes, Clarke said.
At the end of the day, Northwest Arkansas should log up to 3 inches of rainfall, while much of eastern Arkansas will get around 1 inch, Clarke said. The weather will be fairly warm, with temperatures hovering in the 70s to low 80s despite the expected cloud cover, Clarke said.
To decide if the storms qualify as severe, storm spotters and sheriff’s offices will be watching for hail the size of a quarter and reporting any damage to the Little Rock office, Clarke said.
Because it’s difficult to get accurate wind speed measurements in most of Arkansas, the National Weather Service relies on reports of roofs being swept off houses or trees getting blown down and snapped to determine wind severity, he said.
When preparing for inclement weather, most people have a specific plan for when they’re at home, Clarke said. Because these storms are coming midday while people are at work, Arkansans should “take a minute to look around your office” and find the safe places to take shelter, he said.
As for the rest of the week, severe storms are predicted to return Friday as a warm front travels northward across Arkansas, forecasters said. Those storms will bring hail and winds are expected as well as flash flooding. This weekend, parts of Arkansas could drown out Wednesday’s rainfall numbers and get more than 8 inches, Clarke said.
Most parts of Arkansas not under the moderate risk for severe storms are under an enhanced risk, which is one step down, Clarke said.
— Emma Pettit