The warm temperatures will stick around through Friday as a cold front approaches the ArkLaTex. Strong to severe storms will be likely Friday evening and Friday night as the front moves through the area. Sunshine returns this weekend with cooler temperatures.
A warm Friday and cooler weekend: Temperatures Thursday have returned to the 70s and low 80s over the ArkLaTex. We will likely end the week with another warm day Friday. Lows Friday morning will begin in the low to middle 60s. Daytime highs Friday afternoon will return to the 70s and lower 80s. Cooler air will move back into the ArkLaTex this weekend with lows dipping into the low to middle 50s. Daytime highs will retreat to the low to middle 70s.
Severe weather late Friday: Futurecast shows that we will see a partly cloudy to mostly cloudy sky over the ArkLaTex Thursday night. Expect a mix of sunshine and clouds with dry conditions for most of Friday. It will also be rather windy Friday with a gusty southeast wind of 15 to 20 mph. This wind will increase the moisture in our area which will be fuel for storms as the cold front moves into the area. A line of storms will develop to the west of our area Friday afternoon. Futurecast shows this line moving into the NW edge of our area late Friday afternoon or early Friday evening. If the timing of Futurecast is correct, the line will move into Texarkana between 9 pm and 10 pm and into Shreveport between 10 pm and 11 pm. We should exit the southeast corner of the ArkLaTex between 3 am and 4 am. Look for the clouds to quickly give way to sunshine for most of Saturday. The quiet weather will stick around through the weekend with a few more clouds in the mix Sunday.
Severe weather likely: The Storm Prediction Center indicates that severe weather will be possible, if not likely, with the expected line of storms. The risk is looking highest over the northwestern half of the area. We could see a very slow weakening trend in the line after midnight over the southeastern third of the area, but severe impacts will remain a good possibility. All severe weather threats will be on the table including the chance of several tornadoes and a few strong tornadoes. The most widespread issue will come from damaging wind gusts of up to 70 mph. Hail will also be possible.
Heavy rain possible: Models continue to show a decent amount of rain will fall on the ArkLaTex as the front rolls through. It still appears that all of the area stands a good chance of seeing at around 1.5”. Some locations will see anywhere from 2 to 2.5”.
Quiet next week: Dry weather should return for most of next week with only a y slight chance of rain Sunday night and Monday. Next week will begin with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. The warmer temperatures will likely stick around through the first half of next week. By the end of the week, we will see some much cooler air return. Highs will likely dip into the low to middle 60s by next weekend. Overnight lows will dip into the upper 30s to lower 40s.
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