Storms toppled trees and downed power lines Friday night and Saturday morning, according to Justin Condry of the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock.

The meteorologist said a squall line of storms formed and moved from northwest Arkansas toward the southeast of the state, with some strong winds before and during the squalls. The storms began around 11 p.m. in northwest Arkansas and mostly ended between 5 and 6 a.m.

Reports of storm damage from several counties in the state were posted online Saturday afternoon by the National Weather Service. Counties reporting damage included Grant, Hot Spring, Howard, Barry, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Sebastian and Logan.

Condry said the measured wind gust in Logan County was 58 mph.

“This is a typical mid-summer storm,” Condry said. “It’s a difficult time of year for hail to form because it’s so warm that the hail can melt before it reaches the ground, and we’re expecting pretty strong winds.”

Power outages

Just after 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Entergy’s online outage map showed just over 2,000 people were still without power, and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas’ online outage map showed over 7,000 people were still without power.

Over 800 of Entergy’s customers were in Garland County and over 300 were in Montgomery County.

In both Benton and Crawford County, more than 2,500 co-op members were still without power.

SUNDAY STORM PROBABILITY

The weather service said the possibility of severe weather was again forecast for most of the state on Sunday.

There is a slight risk of severe weather across much of Arkansas, including Little Rock, Fayetteville, Hot Springs and Pine Bluff. The weather service defines a slight risk as conditions where isolated severe storms are possible.

“It will be roughly the same situation as Friday night, but perhaps not as widespread,” Condry said.

The biggest concern is gusty winds that could reach up to 60 mph. Hailstones could be as large as quarters, and the tornado potential is very low, close to zero, the meteorologist said.

The storms are expected to hit the country in the afternoon, evening and night into Sunday, the weather service said.

“It’s been a while since we’ve experienced severe weather, so Arkansas residents should be especially careful to have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings that will wake them up,” Condry said.

Before the storm, it will be warm across the state, he said. But after Sunday’s storm, the forecast calls for a slight cooldown, with highs between 30 and 35 degrees in Little Rock.

“It will still be warm, but it will not be very humid, so the perceived temperature next week will be more in line with the actual temperature,” the meteorologist said.