Expect a breezy & warm Tuesday followed by heavy rain late Wednesday through Thursday

Shower and thunderstorms with locally heavy rain will be likely starting late Wednesday with some scattered flooding possible.  The rain threat will continue into Thursday night.  Sunshine and cooler temperatures will return the usher in 2021.

Monday was a partly to mostly cloudy and mild day around the ArkLaTex.  Temperatures climbed into the 50s north to the mid to upper 60s south.  The warming trend will continue Tuesday and Wednesday in advance of a strong storm system that promises to bring thunderstorms and some heavy rain to our area.  Look for highs to warm into the upper 60s to low 70s by Wednesday.  Overnight lows will mainly be in the low to middle 50s.  

Tuesday is looking to be a mostly cloudy, breezy, and warmer day with highs in the lower to middle 60s.  Rain is looking unlikely at this time for most of the area but an isolated shower cannot be totally ruled out.  Showers and thunderstorms will be on the increase late Wednesday and Wednesday night.  As of right now, any severe weather threat is looking rather low as the Storm Prediction Center indicates that the stronger storms may be limited to parts of Central Texas.  Our main concern will be the potential for heavy rain.

We will likely see several waves of rain from very late Wednesday, Wednesday night, Thursday, and Thursday night.  The heaviest rain will likely fall Thursday. Most models indicate that the heaviest rain will fall over the northwest half of the area in Northeast Texas, much of Southwest Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma.  Here anywhere from three to four inches of total rainfall will be possible. An isolated five-inch total cannot be ruled out. The southeast half of the area could see anywhere from one to two inches of rain.  Keep in mind that there is still time to see some adjustment in the placement of the heavy rain potential.  This could be enough rain to cause some scattered reports of flash flooding.  The Weather Prediction Center indicates that there is a slight risk of flash flooding over the northwest half of the area.  Any flooding issues will likely be more isolated over NW LA.  

Cooler air will move in behind this system with sunshine returning Friday just in time for New Year’s Day.  Highs Friday will ease into the upper 40s to lower 50s.  Overnight lows will eventually return to the low to middle 30s by the weekend.  

Next week will begin with a warming trend as the sunshine continues.  Highs will warm to the low to middle 60s.  Overnight lows will warm to the 40s.  Our next best chance for more rain will likely hold off until the middle of next week.  Stay Tuned!