Little Rock, Arkansas – Severe weather moved across Arkansas late Friday night, knocking out power to thousands of residents and prompting tornado warnings in multiple counties.
The intense storms, which swept through the state over the course of several hours, left more than 10,000 people without electricity as of just before midnight. According to data from Poweroutage.us, a total of 10,092 customers were affected by the outages.
Saline County faced the brunt of the damage, reporting 3,845 outages alone. In some neighborhoods, homes went dark for hours as utility crews began working through the night to restore service. Fallen trees, snapped power lines, and debris were reported in several areas, though no major injuries had been confirmed as of early Saturday morning.
Arkansas and Monroe Counties also saw significant outages and were both under tornado warnings during the storm. Emergency alerts were issued shortly after sunset, urging residents to take cover as fast-moving cells passed through the region.
“We’ve seen heavy wind, rain, and some rotation in the skies tonight,” one Arkansas Storm Team meteorologist said during a live broadcast. “These storms are dangerous and they’re moving quickly, so we’re asking everyone to stay weather aware.”
As daylight breaks, cleanup and recovery efforts are expected to begin across the affected counties. Power companies are urging patience as they assess the extent of the damage and begin restoration work.
In the meantime, residents are encouraged to check on neighbors, especially the elderly and those without backup generators. Authorities also remind everyone to stay away from downed power lines and to report any electrical hazards immediately.
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“If you encounter damage from the storm, share your weather pictures with the Arkansas Storm Team,” local meteorologists said, encouraging the public to help document the storm’s impact across the state.
The Arkansas Storm Team continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
