Tornado touches down in Northwest Arkansas as storms move through state

7:22 P.M. UPDATE

The National Weather service has canceled a tornado warning that affected several central Arkansas counties.

The warning included north-central Perry, southwestern Conway, east-central Yell and south-central Pope counties.

— Maggie McNeary

7 P.M. UPDATE

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for north-central Perry, southwestern Conway, east-central Yell and south-central Pope counties in central Arkansas.

The warning includes the area around Aplin, east of Casa and west of Adona. A severe thunderstorm capable of making a tornado was spotted near Petit Jean State Park, 11 miles northwest of Perryville, the weather service said.

Radar indicated that rotation was in the area, and the weather service said that penny-sized hail was possible. The warning is set to expire at 7:15 p.m.

— Maggie McNeary

6:16 P.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service has canceled a tornado warning for parts of two counties in central Arkansas.

The alert affected west-central Perry County and south-central Yell County.

— Jillian Kremer

5:54 P.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of two counties in central Arkansas.

The warning covers west-central Perry County and south-central Yell County until 6:45 p.m.

A tornado-capable storm was located 10 miles south of Plainview shortly before 6 p.m. and was moving north at 35 mph, forecasters said.

The weather service also canceled a tornado watch for Franklin County. A watch remained for Carroll and Madison counties until 8 p.m.

— Jillian Kremer

4:45 P.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service has dropped tornado warnings for counties in Northwest Arkansas.

The warning for Madison County expired at 4:30 p.m.

The weather service also canceled tornado watches for Benton, Crawford, Sebastian and Washington counties. A watch remained for Carroll, Franklin and Madison counties until 8 p.m.

— Jaime Dunaway

4:20 P.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down Tuesday afternoon in northwest Arkansas shortly after forecasters had issued a tornado warning for the area.

The twister briefly touched down confirmed at 4 p.m. about 14 miles northeast of Ozark, meteorologists said.

Affected areas include Ozark, Yale and Dixon Ridge. Residents are urged to avoid flying debris by finding shelter in a basement or interior room.

A warning for parts of Franklin and Madison counties is in effect until 4:15 p.m. Radar indicted a tornado and penny-sized hail are possible, according to the weather service.

A warning for northwestern Johnson County and southwestern Newton County was canceled about 4:20 p.m.

Forecasters said a tornado watch remains in effect for portions of Northwest Arkansas, including Fayetteville and Fort Smith, until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

— Jaime Dunaway

12:43 P.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch Tuesday afternoon for part of Arkansas.

The watch, which is in effect until 8 p.m., states there is the potential for tornadoes and damaging winds up to 65 mph.

Conditions may include thunderstorms that get more intense “across the Ozarks,” the weather service said. The watch area stretches from 60 miles southeast of Fayetteville to 75 miles northwest of Springfield, Mo.

The watch includes Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Newton, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian and Washington counties in Arkansas.

— Maggie McNeary

EARLIER:

Western Arkansas is under a slight risk for severe weather through Wednesday morning.
Western Arkansas is under a slight risk for severe weather through Wednesday morning.

Part of the state is under a slight risk for severe weather through Wednesday morning as thunderstorms are expected to develop in front of a coming cold front, forecasters said.

The storms will form across eastern Oklahoma and move into western Arkansas by Tuesday night, according to a report from the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

Forecasters said the slight risk of severe weather extends from Harrison to about Texarkana. An area of central Arkansas, stretching from Mountain Home to El Dorado, is under a marginal risk.

Damaging winds are the primary concern, but tornadoes cannot be ruled out, meteorologists said.

Heavy rainfall is also possible, with up to 3 inches expected in the western part of the state. That could cause a moderate risk of localized flash flooding, according to the weather service.

Up to 1.5 inches of rain could fall in central Arkansas, prompting meteorologists to issue a slight risk of flash flooding.

— Jaime Dunaway

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