Arkansas is expected to see sweltering temperatures and humidity that will make it feel even hotter this week, the National Weather Service said.
Parts of eastern Arkansas were set Monday to go under a heat advisory for temperatures that could reach the mid- to upper 90s and will feel as hot as 105 with the humidity added in. The heat advisory covers Craighead, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips and Poinsett counties and runs from noon to 7 p.m. Monday.
The high heat, arriving on the first full day of summer, was expected to continue through at least midweek.
"The heat advisory may need to be expanded in later forecasts to include more of the midsouth for Tuesday," the weather service said in a statement. "In addition, the heat will continue to increase and expand Wednesday with a heat advisory possibly becoming necessary for much of the midsouth."
The agency warned that heat illnesses are possible in conditions where heat advisories are issued, noting people should when possible stay in air conditioning and out of the sun; drink fluids; and check on relatives and neighbors.
"Remember car interiors can become lethal in a short period of time," the statement added.
While the heat advisory Monday doesn't cover areas outside of eastern Arkansas, high temperatures in the low- to mid-90s are expected in most of the state. In Little Rock, a high of 94 is forecast.
It will get even hotter on Tuesday, when Little Rock and Pine Bluff are expected to reach 96. El Dorado and Crossett in southern Arkansas were forecast to reach 97 for a Tuesday high.