One more day of 100 degree heat before rain, cooler weather reach Twin Lakes Area

Another day of triple digit heat is expected Wednesday in Mountain Home and the Twin Lakes Area before a change in the weather brings increasing rain chances and lower temperatures beginning Thursday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock is forecasting a high of 100 degrees Wednesday in Mountain Home. The heat is being driven by an upper-level ridge that has produced abnormally hot and dry conditions across Arkansas. That ridge is expected to weaken later this week, allowing a more unsettled pattern to develop.

Much needed rain will move into the area on Thurdsay and continue periodically through Sunday as a disturbance moves across Arkansas and a frontal boundary stalls near the Arkansas-Missouri border. Northern Arkansas is currently favored to receive the most beneficial rainfall, while increased clouds and precipitation should also bring noticeably cooler temperatures and lower heat risk.

The cool-down may not signal the beginning of a sustained fall pattern. The latest NWS forecast discussion indicates the upper-level ridge is expected to rebuild next week, bringing decreasing rain chances and a return to hotter and drier conditions.

Drought and wildfire concerns will remain even with the expected rain. The NWS briefing says drought has affected Arkansas for much of 2026, and recent scattered rainfall has produced no improvement in statewide drought conditions. Forecasters say drought could persist or worsen, while the Climate Prediction Center has identified Arkansas as an area at risk for rapid drought development during the Sept. 14-20 period.   The NWS recently reported high wildfire danger across all of Arkansas, with burn bans in nearly every county including all Northern Arkansas counties.

While the coming rainfall will be welcome, the state’s long-term rainfall deficits are significant enough that immediate drought relief is not expected.

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