Storm lashes state's west, causes damage

Ozark gets 4 inches of rain; 1.5 in LR

A brief but strong storm caused damage throughout western Arkansas on Wednesday afternoon.

Strong winds damaged buildings at Chaffee Crossing in Sebastian County and two homes west of Ozark in Franklin County, according to Department of Emergency Management officials. Wind gusts up to 66 mph were recorded in Fort Smith.

Mike Teague, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa, said the storm formed along a cold front that moved through. The cooler air interacted with hot, humid air, and the storm grew.

The storm damage in Franklin and and Sebastian counties showed evidence that small tornadoes may have touched down, he said. Meteorologists may travel to those areas today to determine whether there were tornadoes, he said.

Quarter-size hail fell in Mountain Home and Russellville, according to meteorologist Sean Clarke, with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. Penny-size hail fell in Atkins.

Flooding was being reported in Johnson County. The emergency management coordinator there, Josh Johnston, said members of one family reported not being able to get out of their home because of flooding in the Knoxville area.

Otherwise, officials reported no injuries from the storm but numerous tree limbs down.

"We had several microbursts from one side of the county to the other," Crawford County emergency management Coordinator Dennis Gilstrap said, referring to intense downdrafts that sometimes accompany thunderstorms.

Sebastian County emergency management Coordinator Jeff Turner said a power line fell across Arkansas 22 briefly.

Loss of electric service was widespread, according to power company websites. Entergy Arkansas reported late Wednesday that 29,658 customers were without power, down from more than 44,000 customers at 6:29 p.m.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. as of 5 p.m. was reporting about 25,000 customers without power, and Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative had about 16,000 customers without power.

Fort Smith had about 15,500 Oklahoma Gas and Electric customers who had lost power with power losses in north Sebastian County, throughout Crawford and Franklin counties and northern Johnson County.

The storm dumped 1.5 inches of rain in one hour in the Little Rock area, Clarke said. The heaviest rainfall in Arkansas was in Ozark, where 4 inches was recorded. Russellville received 3 inches of rain from the storm.

Metro on 07/24/2014

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