Fall weather will finally hit the Natural State with below-average temperatures expected throughout Arkansas toward the end of the week, forecasters said.
A cold front moving into the state Wednesday will usher in daytime highs in the mid-60s, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Hood said. For early October, forecasters in Arkansas usually predict highs in the mid-70s to lower 80s, he said.
“We’ve been so warm lately that most of the people interested in weather are excited about this because it’s the first taste of fall,” Hood said. “Temperatures in the mid-80s and lower 90s have been a struggle for some folks. By the middle of October, people are looking for overnight temperatures in the 40s and 50s and daytime temperatures in the low 70s.”
Hood said the cooler weather is expected to last at least seven to 10 days.
“The cold air is about a state away in Oklahoma, and it’s going to stay for a good stretch until the middle part of October,” he said.
Rain and thunderstorms will spread from west to east throughout the day Wednesday, with a 70 to 80 percent chance of precipitation expected across most of Arkansas, according to the weather service.
There will be a slight risk of severe weather in some western portions of the state, but the system should move out of the area by Wednesday evening, Hood said.