Tornadoes

Although severe weather was expected yesterday, it was predicted for the northwest area of the state with lesser chances for the western and central areas of Arkansas. Once again Mother Nature had other plans.

The new safe rooms in both Fountain Lake and Jessieville Schools were opened for county residents during the tornado outbreak.

Possible tornadoes caused damage in the 900 block of Sunshine in Hot Springs, Brady Mountain Cutoff and Brady Mountain Road. There are a lot of trees down and localized flooding with road washouts.

At least a dozen possible tornadoes plagued the state. A twister danced east of Wickes and north-northwest of Paron. Another hit Oden. One touched down in Amity. Possible tornadoes hit Lake Ouachita State Park, Bonnerdale, Meyers, Cove, and the Brady Mountain Recreation Area. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department reported flooding and heavy damage to Arkansas 28 near Parks.

Scott County Sheriff Cody Carpenter is among those confirmed dead from overnight flooding.

Arkansas State Police said there are “confirmed fatalities” in western Arkansas where Carpenter and a game warden disappeared in floodwaters overnight. The two were checking on a home in the Y City area when river floodwaters rose quickly.

First Electric Cooperative has a few outages in the following areas, Little Rock, Jacksonville, Heber Springs and DeWitt. Power is expected to be restored today.

Entergy customers in Garland County and state-wide fared far worse. Twenty four thousand are without power, including in Garland County from Jessieville down to and through Hot Springs. Hot Springs Village is the anomaly with full power. The outages may be restored by Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. with the caveat that tomorrow’s storms may hinder repairs and may add more outages.

The Relay for Life scheduled to take place tonight at Oaklawn in Hot Springs has been re-scheduled for June 14. The Dress Barn in Cornerstone Mall was set to take part in the bake sale for Relay for Life and has set up a tent next to the business today offering over 500 baked goods for sale to benefit the American Cancer Society. The baked goods can not be saved for the 14^th.

The 2013 Hook-a-Heart Bass Tournament in Little Rock has been postponed due to unsafe conditions on the Arkansas River. The flow of the Arkansas River is expected to top 100,000. The Civitan Services tournament committee said they would not knowingly put any of the tournament participants in danger. A new date will be decided next week.

The Garland County courthouse is closed today, no power. The Garland County Sheriff’s Department and the Roads Department are still open. Judge Cook and Judge Wright held court today.

Water production in Hot Springs has been temporarily slowed, customers are asked to voluntarily conserve water. Customers are asked to avoid using irrigation systems and to postpone other non-essential water-consuming activities.

A second round of storms is possible late this afternoon. Severe weather is a certainty for tomorrow.