Severe storm warning issued for Phillips County, with hail and lightning
Phillips County stayed under a strong storm warning through 7:45 p.m., with wind, hail and lightning threatening Helena-West Helena and the rest of the Delta.
KARK Chief Meteorologist Jacie Sellar issued a strong storm warning for Phillips County that remained in effect until 7:45 p.m., warning of wind, hail and lightning across the county. The alert put Helena-West Helena, the county seat and principal city, in the storm’s immediate path as residents and businesses rushed to secure anything exposed before evening.
The warning landed in a small Delta city where a fast-moving storm can disrupt a lot at once. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas lists Helena-West Helena at 9,519 residents and 13.09 square miles. Census Reporter places the city at 8,935 residents across 13.1 square miles, a compact footprint that leaves homes, storefronts, roads and outdoor activity vulnerable when severe weather rolls through.
The National Weather Service office serving West Helena is in Memphis, Tennessee, and its hazardous weather conditions page was monitoring the area. Those watches matter in Phillips County because a storm line can bring sudden changes in visibility, brief power interruptions and dangerous lightning with little time to react once the cells build over the Delta.
The Phillips County warning also fit a broader severe-weather pattern across Arkansas. Forecasters said parts of the state could see severe storms Monday afternoon, and the threat for Phillips County carried the same mix of hazards that can snarl evening travel and force people off roads quickly. With wind, hail and lightning all in play, the next few hours were the window for anyone in Helena-West Helena or elsewhere in the county to get inside, move vehicles and protect property before the storm strengthened.
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