Another day stormy in state
Power goes out, trees topple; Atkins woman trapped in shed
High winds downed power lines and trees across the state Tuesday as another line of storms swept across Arkansas, injuring at least one person.
An Atkins woman was in a shed on her property when strong winds toppled a tree and trapped her in the shed, Pope County emergency manager Justin Drittler said. Melody Daniel, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, later said the woman was alert and talking with rescuers.
The storms that moved across the state in two parallel lines left about 4,700 residents without power statewide, with Entergy spokesman Kerri Case saying the vast majority of failures were caused by high winds blowing limbs or trees into lines. The North Little Rock Electric Department also reported a handful of power losses.
Another storm knocked out power to more than 23,000 people statewide Saturday, but Case said Entergy crews early Sunday finished repairing the damage from that storm.
Case said linemen were already out assessing damage in the western part of the state, where the storm had passed, and would begin to look over eastern Arkansas once there was no more threat.
“Crews have to wait until the storm passes to get out,” she said. “We’re not going to be putting buckets in the air while it’s lightning out.”
Meteorologist Heather Cross said the National Weather Service had received reports of wind damage across the majority of the western half of the state by Tuesday afternoon.
Drittler said besides the injured woman, Pope County had several downed trees and a couple of damaged houses or storage buildings. The worst of the damage was around Hurricane Lane, he said.
Cross said similar damage was recorded across several western Arkansas counties, including Polk, Logan, Baxter, Yell, Montgomery, Boone, Newton and Van Buren. Wind speeds of up to 60 mph were recorded in those areas, though Cross said winds could have been higher in some places.
A tornado watch initially scheduled for much of central Arkansas was lifted by 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, with much of the storm having passed. Cross said National Weather Service surveyors were still in the field gathering evidence to determine whether the storm produced any tornadoes and to assess damage.
Tuesday’s storm is the most recent in a spate of severe spring weather this year. Central Arkansas has received more than 31 inches of rain this year, according to the National Climatic Data Center, 10 inches more than the normal amount by May. El Dorado has recorded about 35 inches since Jan. 1.
Many low-lying or waterside areas — like Fort Smith, Lynn, and Camden — are under a flood warning “until further notice,” and many rural roads have been closed because of high water.
Ashley County 169 was closed on April 16, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, and remains closed. Jackson County 37 has been closed for two weeks, Ashley County 173 closed on April 18 and Mississippi County 120 closed on April 22.
“It’s really been a stormy fall, winter and spring,” Cross said. “We may have a break here or there, but it’s been pretty consistent. We really started getting those river flood warnings in the late winter and … we’ve been issuing them for a while now. Fortunately, we have had a few breaks in the rain, but it keeps coming back.”
Cross said a high pressure system is moving in and should dry Arkansas out later in the week, though another rain system could move into the state next Tuesday.