UAFS, West Fork, Greenwood Schools close early due to severe weather (2025)

HERE FOR YOU. THEY JUST ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH. NOW, THIS ONLY COVERS THE EASTERN PART OF OUR AREA. DOESN’T GO ALL THE WAY TO FRANKLIN AND SEBASTIAN COUNTY, THOUGH. I DON’T KNOW, THEY MAY HAVE TO ADD FRANKLIN, SEBASTIAN, MAYBE EVEN LE FLORE COUNTY AT SOME POINT. MAYBE EVEN MADISON CARROLL. I CAN KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHY BENTON AND WASHINGTON COUNTY WOULDN’T BE IN IT, BUT LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON, THE ATMOSPHERE MAY BECOME PRIMED ENOUGH IN SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS. STILL NORTHWEST FOR THAT RISK. SO WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THE ENTIRE AREA. BUT TORNADO WATCH ISSUED THIS TORNADO WATCH FOR JOHNSON, LOGAN COUNTY SCOTT COUNTY GOES UNTIL NINE THIS EVENING. BY NINE. MOST OF THAT THREAT PROBABLY ACTUALLY WILL BE A LITTLE BIT FARTHER EAST, BUT CERTAINLY WATCHING FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF OUR AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT RADAR AND WHAT WE’VE GOT OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE SOME PRETTY INTENSE STORMS MAKING THEIR WAY THROUGH NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND NWA. HE’S BEEN TALKING ABOUT SINCE YESTERDAY. THERE’S SOME SEVERE POTENTIAL WE’VE HAD SOME HAIL MIGHT STILL HAVE SOME POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE STORMS LATER ON TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE RISK IS GREATER. FARTHER OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL, OUR GREATEST RISK REALLY IS FLASH FLOODING. SO WE’VE GOT FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS ALL ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THIS ONE WASHINGTON, MADISON, CRAWFORD INTO CARROLL COUNTY. THAT GOES UNTIL THREE. THE ONE IN BENTON ALSO COVERS PARTS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY. ALSO GOES TILL THREE. SO WE’VE GOT FLOODING ONGOING ACROSS NWA. AND AS MORE HEAVY RAIN KIND OF WORKS ITS WAY OVER, AREAS HAVE ALREADY SEEN A LOT OF RAIN. YOU KNOW, YOU’RE GOING TO GET AREAS OF HIGH WATER. SO JUST BE SURE TO AVOID THAT HIGH WATER THE BEST YOU CAN. A LOT OF LIGHTNING WITH THESE STORMS AND INEVITABLY A LITTLE BIT OF HAIL MIXED IN. BUT NO WARNING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ON ANY OF THESE. CERTAINLY NO TORNADO WARNINGS, NO REASON TO ISSUE ANY TORNADO WARNINGS. SO I WOULDN’T EVEN EXPECT ANY TORNADO WARNINGS UNTIL SOMETIME LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. THE EVENING. AND THE HOPE IS THAT, YEAH, WE END UP HAVING ALL OF THAT EAST OF OUR AREA, OR NONE AT ALL WOULD BE GREAT. BUT THAT’S JUST NOT PARTICULARLY REALISTIC. NOW. WE’LL BE WATCHING AGAIN THESE AREAS EAST OF FORT SMITH AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE DAY FOR THAT POSSIBILITY. RIGHT NOW, WE’VE GOT SOME ACTIVITY THERE AROUND SOUTH OF THAT, A LOT OF THUNDERSTORMS MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE RIVER VALLEY EAST OF FORT SMITH. SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN RELATIVELY QUIET. THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING BECAUSE THAT ALLOWS THE ATMOSPHERE TO GRADUALLY BECOME MORE AND MORE UNSTABLE. WHAT’S REALLY HELPING US IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS IS THE FACT THAT WE’RE STILL IN THE COOL SECTOR, AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF RAIN ALREADY, BUT THEY JUST DON’T HAVE THAT SAME BENEFIT. EAST OF FORT SMITH. SO AND YOU’RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF RAIN OUT THERE LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING OVERNIGHT AND THEN AGAIN TOMORROW. NOT ONLY IS THE GREATEST TORNADO RISK THERE EAST OF FORT SMITH, BUT THE GREATEST FLASH FLOODING RISK. WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE LAST 24 HOURS. THAT CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE, BUT WE’RE WATCHING NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TO YOU PUT THIS MAP IN MOTION. YOU CAN SEE THE MOTION OF THESE STORMS BASICALLY OFF TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST. TORNADO WATCH JUST ISSUED AS WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT WHOLE AREA AND A FLOOD WATCH. SO WE’RE WATCHING FOR ALL OF THAT AS WELL. WE’RE GOING TO GET NEW DEVELOPMENT. WE THINK HERE SOUTH OF FORT SMITH AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING, AND THEN AGAIN, THE AREA THAT WE THINK IS GOING TO BECOME MOST PRIMED FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS BASICALLY RIGHT IN THROUGH HERE IN OUR AREA NOW AGAIN, FRANKLIN, SEBASTIAN COUNTY, NOT IN THE TORNADO WATCH. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE TORNADO POTENTIAL. IT’S STILL EXISTS. SO THEY AGAIN, THEY MAY HAVE TO ADD IN SOME OF THESE COUNTIES AS TIME GOES ON, THE BOUNDARIES BASICALLY RIGHT IN THROUGH HERE. AND IF YOU’RE EAST OF THAT BOUNDARY, UNTIL THAT BOUNDARY GETS OFF TO THE EAST OF YOU, YOU’RE STILL KIND OF IN THAT TORNADO RISK. SO REALLY WATCHING THOSE AREAS CAREFULLY. WE’LL BE BACK W