Flooding in Saline County led to roughly 20 water rescues Tuesday night, officials said, as forecasters warn of the potential for additional flooding in the state through Thursday.
Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to bring as much as 2 inches of rain to parts of western Arkansas through Thursday night, according to a National Weather Service briefing. Southwestern and central parts of the state are under a flash flood watch Wednesday.
[ARKANSAS WEATHER: Hourly forecast + weather radar » arkansasonline.com/radar]
Forecasters cautioned residents to heed road closures, avoid driving through high water and, if necessary, evacuate to higher ground.
Overnight, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management received reports of at least four homes and eight cars impacted by flooding in Saline County, according to a post by the agency on Twitter. In a Facebook post, Saline County Emergency Management said roughly 20 people needed to be rescued from their vehicles as a result of flooding, Saline County Emergency Management.
Several water rescues happened in Bryant and Sardis, according to the weather service.
As much as five inches of rain fell in Bryant, according to the city’s Public Works Department. The department said it’s still assessing the impact from the rainfall and asked that anyone experiencing flooding in their home, report it on the city's website: cityofbryant.com/895/stormwater.
This story has been updated. It was originally published at 11:40 a.m.