Arkansas Weather 3/8 Midday - 34° Above Normal

Good afternoon. Arkansas. I'm Matt Mullins. Step outside right now and you'll notice something — the rain's gone. We picked up about a fifth of an inch overnight, but the clouds are breaking apart. You're sitting at 54 degrees this morning, headed for a gorgeous afternoon. Sunshine takes over. Central Arkansas hits 71 degrees. Northwest Arkansas reaches 70. Northeast Arkansas tops out at 66. Light winds, clear skies — perfect weather for getting outside and enjoying it. Tonight stays comfortable. Lows drop to around 50 to 53 degrees under mostly clear skies. South winds pick up slightly. And that's your first hint of what's brewing. Monday brings heat and trouble. Highs surge to the mid to upper 70s statewide — 34 degrees above normal for early March. But between 7 A.M. and 1 P.M., thunderstorms fire up across Central Arkansas. Some could pack a punch — heavy rain, gusty winds, maybe a quarter to half inch of rainfall. Northwest Arkansas dodges most of it, staying sunny and hitting 76 degrees. Northeast Arkansas sees storms arrive by early afternoon. Monday night keeps the threat alive. Showers and thunderstorms linger through evening, especially south. Lows hold in the mid 60s — warmer than some April nights. Here's your heads-up for the week. Tuesday climbs near 80 degrees with another round of storms possible. Wednesday's the big one — a cold front sweeps through with strong to severe thunderstorms likely. Heavy rain totals could hit 1.5 to 3 inches statewide. Wednesday night that front clears. And temperatures crash. Thursday cools dramatically — highs only reach the low 60s under sunny skies. Friday rebounds nicely to the mid 70s with sunshine. The weekend looks mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid 70s. Bottom line — enjoy today's sunshine. Stay weather-aware Monday through Wednesday. See you this evening.