Little Rock, Arkansas – A dangerous round of severe thunderstorms could develop across Arkansas and Missouri Tuesday afternoon and evening, bringing the risk of tornadoes, giant hail, and damaging winds across the Ozarks and Mid-Mississippi Valley.
According to severe weather outlook guidance analyzing Tuesday’s setup, a powerful storm system moving out of the Southern Plains will push warm, unstable air into Arkansas and southern Missouri. As thunderstorms develop along advancing storm boundaries Tuesday afternoon, some could quickly organize into rotating supercells capable of producing tornadoes.
The highest tornado potential currently appears across northern Arkansas and southern to central Missouri, including cities such as Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springfield, and areas south of St. Louis. Strong wind shear and increasing atmospheric instability could allow a few storms to produce stronger tornadoes if discrete supercells develop before storms merge into clusters.
Large hail exceeding 2 inches in diameter will also be possible with the most intense storms, especially during the early stages of development. Later Tuesday evening, storms may organize into lines capable of producing widespread damaging wind gusts over 60 mph.
Communities across the Ozarks and surrounding regions should review tornado safety plans and ensure they have multiple ways to receive warnings Tuesday afternoon and evening. Additional severe weather watches may be issued as forecasters refine the highest-risk areas ahead of storm development.
