With more rain on the way, weather service expects flooding near several Arkansas rivers

5:50 P.M. UPDATE:

As rain continues to drench the state, several rivers in Arkansas are expected to see moderate to major flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Those waterways include the Ouachita, Little Red, White, Black and Cache rivers, according to forecasters.

Moderate flooding means some structures and roads near the body of water will be affected and that some evacuations of people and transfer of property may be necessary, according to the agency's website. Major flooding means "extensive inundation" of structures and roads and significant evacuation necessary.

The Petit Jean, Fourche LaFace and Little Missouri rivers are expected to see minor flooding.

"Heed local officials if you live near any local waterway," the agency's North Little Rock office wrote on Twitter.

Friday evening briefing:

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Photos by the National Weather Service

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Rachel Herzog

4:10 P.M. UPDATE:

Four counties in the state have asked the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management for assistance with flooding, agency spokesman Dan Noble said Friday afternoon.

Clark, Chicot, Randolph and White counties have issued declarations, according to Noble. Thirty-nine counties have had "ongoing weather events" since Wednesday, he added.

Several sections of Arkansas highways were closed due to high water, including roads in Pulaski, Faulkner and White counties, as of Friday afternoon, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

Faulkner County plans to open a temporary shelter at 6:30 p.m. for people displaced by flooding, especially rising waters from Lake Conway, the county's office of emergency management said. The site is Mayflower Junior High School.

In White County, a couple was rescued from their home early Friday after rising waters from Lake Barnett left them stranded, authorities said.

The Arkansas side of Big River Crossing, a bike, rail and pedestrian trail over the Mississippi River that connects West Memphis to Memphis, will be closed starting Sunday anticipating annually rising waters, according to a post on the trail’s Facebook page. The floodway section closed starting Friday, the post states, while the Memphis side will remain open.

Through the weekend, the National Weather Service predicts heavy rain across the state and a continued threat of flash flooding.

Severe thunderstorms will be possible Saturday, the agency said, with temperatures increasing into the 60s and mid-70s. Damaging winds and tornadoes will also be a concern, with the potential for trees to be knocked over due to soils saturated from rain, according to forecasters, so even less severe winds could cause damage.

— Rachel Herzog

EARLIER:

The threat for flooding is expected to continue Friday across Arkansas, and Saturday’s forecast could bring another risk to parts of the state, meteorologists said.

Arkansas’s southeast half now faces an enhanced threat for storms to turn severe Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters in North Little Rock say the primary concerns for the area, including Little Rock, will be damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

Thunderstorms will likely occur during the afternoon and evening hours Saturday. The latest forecast calls for storms to reach Arkansas’ capital city by 6 p.m. that day.

As of Friday morning, rainfall, heavy at times, was falling in much of Arkansas, keeping the threat for flooding high across the state.

Up to 3 inches of additional rain is forecast through Saturday, especially along the Interstate 30/U.S. 67 corridor.

Flood warnings were in effect Friday for counties in central Arkansas as well as the state’s north and south, the weather service said.

The precipitation is expected to wane by Friday night before picking back up in the state Saturday morning.

Around 8:35 a.m., the Arkansas Department of Transportation reported several flooded roads in the state, including five in Clark County and four in Jackson County.

— Rachel Herzog

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