Severe Weather Hits Arkansas

Severe weather has injured seven people, damaged buildings and downed power lines in northwest Arkansas as tornadoes and hurricane-force winds were forecast in much of the Deep South. The Wednesday morning storms hit Springdale and Johnson. Damage was extensive in Springdale, including to an elementary school gymnasium and a warehouse. The Springdale School District canceled all classes Wednesday. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says all of Mississippi and parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee were at the greatest risk for severe weather Wednesday. The worst weather was expected in the afternoon. A tornado watch has been issued for most of Arkansas, northern Louisiana, southern Missouri, southeastern Oklahoma, and northeast Texas through early Wednesday afternoon.