LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Severe weather ripped through parts of central Arkansas Wednesday afternoon, bringing damage and leaving thousands without power.
Damage could be seen at homes in west Little Rock, where a tree completely uprooted and crashed onto the roof of a house on Queenspark Road. Limbs were also knocked off other nearby trees, filling the streets with debris.
A powerline was toppled on Green Mountain Drive, crashing into the road. Little Rock Police Department crews were blocking the scene and reported more power lines down around the city.
More damage was seen in the areas of Napa Valley and Rainwood and well as in the Trellis Square Shopping Center.
Heavy rain and hail appeared to come down near the Market Street shops just off North Rodney Parham.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott posted an update around 4:45 p.m. noting that police and fire crews are being deployed around the city due to the power outages leading to traffic signals being out.
Microburst-powered storm
Arkansas Storm Team Chief Meteorologist Carmen Rose said the storm appeared to be a microburst, which are powerful downbursts from thunderstorms in tightly compacted areas that are usually less than 2.5 miles wide.
The spike in temperature seen in Little Rock helped fuel these storms. The capital city hit a high of 102 and high humidity, bringing heat and moisture to add power to the microburst.
Recovery efforts begin as evening sets in
Neighborhoods were hit by the storm quickly Wednesday, and just as fast neighbors were out to help each other clean up the damage.
Power outages grow from storm
As of 9 p.m., PowerOutage.US reported that around 17,600 customers across Arkansas were still in the dark. The majority of power outages that have been reported were in Pulaski County with 12,899 customers affected, followed by Drew County with 3,451 outages.
There were 221 outages in Jefferson County. Farther south, Desha County has 613 outages.
Little Rock Police Department officials said there are multiple malfunctioning street lights in the area near Napa Valley Drive, Rainwood Drive and Green Mountain Drive as well as the area near Hinson Road and Rodney Parham Road. There will be heavy police presence in those areas as officers assist those in need.
Monitor power outages here:
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
