Arkansas Storm Team Weather Blog: Widespread rain and storms Monday with a slight severe risk

As the busiest travel week begins, the risk of severe weather is heading to parts of the Deep South.

A tornado watch is in effect for southern Arkansas until 7 pm Monday.

Lafayette, Columbia, Union, Ashley and Chicot counties are included in the hour. The clock extends much further south and includes much of eastern Texas and Louisiana.

For much of Arkansas, this risk is very low. But for southern parts of the state, especially in Louisiana and Mississippi, there is a high risk of tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail.

Showers and storms become more prevalent during the morning, which should keep temperatures a little cooler across much of central and northern Arkansas. However, it should limit the instability a bit and keep us out of the most important extreme risk area.

But for southern Arkansas, there will be warmer, more humid air available to fuel the storms. This is especially the case for areas south of US Highway 82 to much of Louisiana and central Mississippi.

If you are in these areas, be sure to download the Arkansas Storm Team app with notifications enabled. Be vigilant and have a plan in case you have to seek shelter while traveling. This plan might involve delaying your flight by a few hours or until tomorrow.

As we approach early evening, these storms will move quickly out of the state. By the time all is said and done, most areas will have picked up about a half inch to two inches of rain in spots.

As rain and storms move out, cooler, drier air moves in and travel becomes more manageable. The clouds will continue until Tuesday morning and most of Tuesday. This, coupled with fresh northwest winds, should keep temperatures in the mid to lower 50s. Lows return to the upper 30s through midweek.