A line of strong storms swept through northwest Arkansas late Monday afternoon, with tornadoes and damage reported in some locations.

A confirmed tornado and a possible tornado were reported by the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, near Siloam Springs.

At 4:25 p.m., meteorologist Derrick Hodges reported receiving a report of “flying debris” south of Siloam Springs.

At 5 p.m., another meteorologist reported that the only reports of debris were tree branches and leaf material.

Little Flock Mayor Jeff Van Sickler said 13th Street and Dixieland Road were hit and trees were down. He confirmed late Monday that three homes in Little Flock had suffered extensive damage from the storms, adding the homes had been “essentially destroyed” and others may also have been damaged.

“It appears the storm struck on Dixieland Road, then took a northeasterly direction and moved onto North 13th Street and then onto Little Flock Drive,” Van Sickler said.

He said there were people in at least one of the houses. Fire department employees were on site. City officials urged people not to travel to the area. Roads across the city were open late Monday, but debris was still a concern for drivers, Van Sickler said.

The Little Flock Fire Department posted on Facebook around 6:30 p.m. Monday: “A possible tornado occurred in Little Flock. Several roads are impassable and houses are damaged. Please avoid the city this evening while emergency crews work to clean up and assess the damage.”

It is the second time this year that Little Flock has been hit hard by severe weather. The first time was on May 26, when a severe storm hit Benton County and other parts of northern Arkansas. This storm destroyed Little Flock Town Hall.

Both Garfield Mayor Gary Blackburn and Pea Ridge Mayor Nathan See reported no damage in their cities Monday.

Benton County Public Safety Director Robert McGowen said he had heard two homes were destroyed in Little Flock, but he had not yet confirmed the reports. He said a tornado touched down in the Little Flock/Rogers area.

Rogers police reported on social media that a confirmed tornado had been spotted north of the city and urged people to seek shelter. The agency reported flooding on Rainbow Road near the intersection with Northgate Road and said the area was impassable. In a later post, the department directed people to avoid the area of ​​Dixieland and Hudson streets.

Lt. Shannon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office, said Monday evening that she had only heard that some trees had fallen.

The city of Siloam Springs reported a “significant weather event” Monday afternoon that resulted in the city’s emergency response center being activated to Level 2, according to a news release from Sgt. DeAndra Bartley of the Siloam Springs Police Department.

There are power outages, damage to power lines, debris on streets and some flooding throughout the city, according to the news release. All city departments are aware of the issues being addressed through the level of safety and importance, the release said.

“Information received at this time indicates that minor damage was reported in areas south of the city,” Bartley said. “The city is still being surveyed and more information should be available (Tuesday).”

The Siloam Springs police chief and fire chief are urging everyone to stay home if possible and stay away from dangerous areas, the release said.

“If you encounter downed power lines, please call 911 immediately. DO NOT attempt to remove downed power lines yourself,” the release states.

The town of Watts, Oklahoma — about 6 miles south of Siloam Springs — was without power around 7 p.m., Mayor John Ford said.

Ford was able to get a generator to be used for Tuesday's general election at the city's only polling place, the school library, he said.

Ford said the city suffered no damage, but he heard there was damage south of the city.

Highway 59 from Watts to West Siloam Springs was shrouded in darkness after the storm.

The website poweroutage.us reported that 2,281 people in Adair County, where Watts is located, were without power around 8 p.m. At the same time, in Arkansas, there were 335 customers without power in Benton County, while there were 196 in Washington County, the website said.

VOTE, SCHOOL AFFECTED

In Washington County, early voting at the Washington County Courthouse was stopped at 4:45 p.m. and employees there were moved to a secure location, said Tad Sours, a county spokesman.

Any damage in Washington County appeared to be isolated and no major damage had been reported as of 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sours said.

Alan Wilbourn, a spokesman for the Fayetteville School District, also said the district had no damage to report.

All Springdale School District students were able to come home and will be held accountable, district spokesman Trent Jones said in a telephone interview at 6 p.m. That required flexibility on the part of the district's transportation department, which only operated bus routes on the west side of the district when weather conditions permitted, he said.

“I’m really proud of how parents, students and everyone else mobilized,” he said. “Ultimately we were able to be flexible.”

The district transports more than 8,000 students per school day, he said.

Due to the weather threat, several meetings and events have been canceled in the region.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

At 5 p.m., the weather service in Tulsa issued three tornado warnings for parts of Benton and Washington counties, including one for Fayetteville, Springdale and Farmington, which lasted until 5:45 p.m

A tornado warning was issued for South Benton County and North Washington County at 4:10 p.m. and lasted until 4:45 p.m

At 4:25 p.m., Hodges said the cell was weakened but could still produce tornadoes.

At the same time as the first, a second tornado warning was issued for eastern Oklahoma and toward southern Fayetteville.

Hodges said it would take about 40 minutes for the cell phone to reach the Fayetteville area.

A new tornado warning was issued at 4:40 p.m., extending from Tontitown north to Pea Ridge and east to Larue and lasting until 5:15 p.m

At 4:23 p.m., the Tulsa Weather Service issued a tornado warning for northwest Arkansas until 9 p.m

A tornado warning was issued at 4:44 p.m., extending from Stilwell, Oklahoma, to Lincoln and Rhea until 5:30 p.m

Tornado warnings in northwest Arkansas were allowed to expire at 5:45 p.m

Ozarks Electric Cooperative reported 2,966 customers without power as of 5:40 p.m. Carroll Electric Cooperative reported 1,921 customers without power.

CANCELLATIONS AND POSTPONEMENTS

According to the district, extracurricular activities have been canceled in the Farmington, West Fork, Gentry, Springdale and Siloam Springs school districts.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office Parents Night Out event scheduled for Monday evening at Bentonville West High School has also been postponed. The event, designed to educate parents about how to protect children from online dangers, has been postponed until Jan. 21, according to the sheriff's office.

The Springdale City Council Committee meeting scheduled for Monday evening has been postponed until Thursday at 5:30 p.m., according to the city.

The Little Flock Planning Commission meeting originally scheduled for Monday evening has also been postponed. It will now take place on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

In Cave Springs, the city canceled the planned Planning Commission meeting Monday night.

In Fort Smith, meetings scheduled for Monday to redraw attendance zone boundaries have been moved to Thursday at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Orr Elementary, 3609 Phoenix Ave. postponed, the school district announced. Additionally, the City of Fort Smith has postponed its board meeting from Monday evening to Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Showers and thunderstorms were expected to continue Monday night; Showers and a possible thunderstorm were expected before 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

According to the weather service, some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rains, with new rainfall totals ranging from 1 to 2 inches.

The weather service issued a flood warning until 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The forecast for Tuesday in northwest Arkansas calls for a 30 percent chance of rain, mostly from 9 a.m. to noon.

Emergency crews work to clear debris from the road, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, along North Dixieland Road. north of Hudson Road. at Rogers. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

Emergency crews work to clear debris from the road, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, along North Dixieland Road. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

A first responder works to clear debris from the road along North Dixieland Road on Monday, November 4, 2024. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

Emergency crews work to clear debris from the road, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, along North Dixieland Road. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

Emergency crews work to clear debris from the road, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, along North Dixieland Road. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

Emergency crews work to clear debris from the road, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, along North Dixieland Road. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Charlie Kaijo

Black Hills Energy workers ensure the safety of a damaged property along North Dixieland Road on Monday, November 4, 2024. north of Hudson Road. in Little Flock. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

Black Hills Energy workers ensure the safety of a damaged property along North Dixieland Road on Monday, November 4, 2024. north of Hudson Road. at Rogers. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery… (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)