Severe thunderstorms are possible today

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – It is going to turn into a stormy Tuesday for some areas of the ArkLaTex with the risk of severe weather increasing this afternoon as a cold front approaches the region. The highest risk for severe weather will be in northwest Louisiana.

Thunderstorm threat to increase this afternoon: We do have light rain showers passing through the region this morning and any rain will remain light through the lunch hour. Our severe weather window may open up as soon as 11 a.m. or noon, and remain open until a few hours after sunset.

The Storm Prediction Center has a level 3 ‘enhanced risk’ for severe storms for areas south and east of Shreveport. This is where storms arriving early in the afternoon could pose the risk of very large hail (quarter to golf-ball sized), damaging wind gusts, and a few tornadoes.

A ‘slight risk’ level 2 threat is forecast for much of southern Arkansas as well as the Shreveport area, and into deep east Texas. Storms may develop in these areas early in the afternoon posing a risk of hail and high wind, with a lesser threat of a tornado.

In the level 1 ‘marginal risk’ zone across Texas and into southern Arkansas including Texarkana, severe storms are less likely but can’t be ruled out. Be prepared for any storms that develop today.

If you live in a mobile or manufactured home seek a sturdy shelter if a tornado watch is issued later today. Make sure you have wireless emergency alerts enabled on your smartphone and download our weather authority app.

The storms will be moving quickly as will the upper level low and cold front driving the storms through the ArkLaTex. This means our rainfall accumulations will be on the light side in most areas, but there may be a few spots that pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain where the stronger thunderstorms are forecast in northwest Louisiana.

High temperatures today will likely warm into the low and middle 70s ahead of the storms. A surge of cold air will arrive as skies clear overnight and lows will fall into the 30s and 40s.

Colder air returns Wednesday and Thursday with warmer weather for the weekend: It will be sunny but cold tomorrow with highs in the low to mid-50s. It will be quite breezy with a northwest wind of 15 miles per hour adding a wind chill to the temperatures.

The wind will be light Thursday with highs remaining in the 50s.

A warm front will arrive late this week and into the weekend bringing a return of highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. This front may also trigger a few rain showers and isolated storms Friday through Sunday. This activity will be spotty in nature, and at this point, the weekend does not look to be a washout, but the weather will need to be monitored for potential impacts on any outdoor plans. As of now, severe weather is not expected over the weekend.