Thunderstorms -- including high winds and hail and the potential for an isolated tornado -- are in the forecast today for all of Arkansas, and the chance of thunderstorms continues into much of the coming week, according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock.

On Saturday, storms hit northeast Arkansas as part of a system moving south from Missouri. That storm system was expected to move south into central and southern Arkansas today, with high wind gusts being the biggest threat, said Jeff Hood, a meteorologist with the weather service.

"There will be heavy, quick rainfall accumulations," Hood said. "Wind damage is a possibility, as some storms will have 60 to 70 mph winds with them."

On Saturday evening, gusts of 60 mph were reported near Walnut Grove in Clay County, said Marlene Mickleson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis.

Arkansas Emergency Management Agency spokesman Kathy Wright said Saturday that emergency teams were on standby throughout the state.

Also, Entergy Arkansas reported a spike in power failures Saturday evening.

Earlier Saturday, 7,000 customers were without power, down from more than 45,000 after storms Friday. The number of homes and businesses without power jumped to 13,000 by Saturday evening, as storms moved through north and central Arkansas, said Julie Munsell, the utility's spokesman. More than 6,000 of those without power were in Mississippi County in northeast Arkansas, and more than 5,000 were in Pulaski County.

"We'll continue working as long as weather permits," Munsell said Saturday. "There was extensive and widespread damage of power lines, power poles and broken poles marginally due to high wind and lightening."

A powerful line of thunderstorms hit the state Thursday, killing two people in northeast Arkansas as it downed trees, tossed a freight train off its tracks and damaged buildings with 80-90 mph winds. Another storm line formed in eastern Oklahoma early Friday and crossed into Arkansas, knocking out power to thousands in central Arkansas and spawning a tornado that injured two people in Batesville.

Metro on 06/08/2014