KARK 4 News & FOX 16 News will have special live coverage Saturday morning with the latest updates on the tornado damage in the Little Rock metro and many other areas of Arkansas. Tune in live starting at 7 a.m. on-air or online at KARK.com & FOX16.com.
After rounds of storms rocked the Natural State through Friday, much of Arkansas remains under a Tornado Watch until 10 p.m.
A new round of TORNADO WARNINGS is still slamming in Arkansas Friday afternoon.
A Tornado Warning was issued for parts of Arkansas, Jefferson, Lonoke & Prairie Counties until 6:15 p.m.
There are two Tornado Warnings for Woodruff County in eastern Arkansas, one running until 4:30 p.m. and another until 4:45 p.m.
There is also a TORNADO WARNING for Grant and Hot Spring Counties running until 4:45 p.m. with 1-inch hail.
There have been reports of significant damage in the Little Rock metro after storms rolled through earlier in the day.
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There is a new TORNADO WARNING until 4:30 p.m. for Monroe, Prairie, White & Woodruff Counties.
The storm is moving east at 60 mph.
A warning for Lonoke and Prairie is set to expire at 4 p.m.
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A new TORNADO WARNING has been issued for parts of Lonoke and Pulaski Counties, including the Little Rock metro, until 3:45 p.m.
This storm is moving very quickly, heading east at speeds of up to 50 mph.
There have been numerous reports of damage from an earlier tornado that came through the Little Rock metro area.
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A TORNADO EMERGENCY has been declared for the Little Rock metro area.
There is a threat for CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE. The National Weather Service has reported a large and destructive tornado over Burns Park at 2:28 p.m. That had moved to near North Little Rock at 2:32 p.m.
PLEASE HEAD TO A SAFE PLACE NOW
There is significant damage being reported around the Little Rock metro, including trees down in major roadways leading to some crashes. Traffic in both directions on Interstate 430 near Rodney Parham Road is stopped due to one such crash.
There is also severe damage in Jacksonville.
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At 2 p.m., there were multiple active TORNADO WARNINGS in parts of central Arkansas.
Parts of Garland, Pulaski & Saline Counties are under a warning until 2:15 p.m.
There is a warning for parts of Cleburne, Independence, Izard, Stone and Van Buren Counties until 2:15 p.m. as well.
A different warning for parts of Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner & Van Buren Counties is in effect until 2:45 p.m.
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Multiple TORNADO WARNINGS have been issued for parts of central Arkansas.
One TORNADO WARNING for parts of Garland and Hot Spring Counties is in effect until 1:45 p.m.
A second warning is for Cleburne, Conway, Stone and Van Buren Counties running until 2 p.m.
Another warning is in effect for parts of Clark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, and Pike until 2 p.m.
Reports from local law enforcement around 1:30 p.m. reported a funnel cloud near Pearcy in Garland County.
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A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for parts of Arkansas including parts of Clark, Perry, Pike, Garland, Montgomery & Hot Spring Counties.
The Tornado Warning is in effect until 1:15 p.m. There was radar-indicated rotation and a threat for half-dollar-sized hail. The National Weather Service notes that there is a high risk of flying debris and damage mobile homes, roofs, windows and vehicles left outside.
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The Storm Prediction Center has upgraded our risk for severe storms across eastern Arkansas to a rare Level 5 out of 5 risk. This is primarily because our tornado risk is becoming more amplified in this area.
As we head into the midday and early afternoon hours, a row of strong storms (perhaps severe) will be moving through western Arkansas. These will approach central Arkansas and the Little Rock Metro during the early afternoon and mid-afternoon hours. At this point, storms will already be rotating.
Then as storms ease into eastern Arkansas, these rotating storms will be more likely to bring that rotation to the surface. While the risk for tornadoes is lower in parts of Arkansas, there is still a risk for short-lived, weak tornadoes. Regardless, all tornado warnings should be treated with the utmost urgency.
During the late afternoon and early evening, storms reach their peak intensity across eastern Arkansas. This is where our level 5 risk is highlighted. Strong, violent, long-track tornadoes will be most likely in this zone.
Be sure you and your family have a plan in place in case a tornado warning is issued. Identify a small, interior room inside a site-built home. Then be within steps of that place when a tornado warning is issued.
Download the Arkansas Storm Team app
To make sure you are staying up-to-date with the forecast, download the Arkansas Storm Team app to get updates anywhere at any time.
To watch the latest video updates from the Arkansas Storm Team, you can check them out here.
The Arkansas Storm Team is a collaboration of two stations to bring you the largest weather team in the state when covering Arkansas weather.
