Extreme Heat Warning for Fort Smith, McAlester and Eastern Oklahoma Expires 8 p.m. Sunday

The National Weather Service in Tulsa warns of heat index values of 110 to 115 across 22 zones in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma from noon to 8 p.m. CDT Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 17, 2026, 10:50 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 17, 2026, 10:55 a.m. ET

An is in effect for parts of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma astian and Crawford counties in Arkansas and Okfuskee, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Haskell, Le Flore and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma from noon to 8 p.m. CDT Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, according to the official product issued by the . **When it lifts:** the record sets the start of this period at and its expiration at that is, noon to 8 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. After 8 p.m. CDT Sunday, this is no longer in effect unless the National Weather Service issues a new product. Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events, the states. The said heat-related illnesses are possible, especially impacting those not acclimated to the conditions or those performing strenuous activities. The same official record states that heat index values from 110 to 115 are expected both Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, with overnight lows in the upper 70s to lower 80s expected Saturday night. The record lays out a sequence: a first until 8 p.m. CDT Saturday evening, a Heat Advisory from 8 p.m. Saturday to noon CDT Sunday, and a second from noon to 8 p.m. CDT Sunday. The covers zones. In Arkansas, they are Southern Crawford and North and Central Sebastian counties. In Oklahoma, they are Central and Southern Sequoyah, Okfuskee, Haskell, McIntosh, Northern Le Flore and Pittsburg counties. Cities named in the record include Stigler, Spiro, Panama, Sallisaw, Fort Smith, Okemah, Pocola, Arkoma, Checotah, Van Buren and McAlester. The advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Take extra precautions when outside, wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing, try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening, and take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The details above come from the National Weather Service text distributed by NOAA, headlined "."

Earlier reports

Aug 17, 2026, 10:50 a.m. ETFirst report
Fort Smith, McAlester and Okfuskee County Under Extreme Heat Warning From Noon to 8 PM CDT Sunday
An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect from noon to 8 PM CDT Sunday for Fort Smith and Van Buren in Arkansas and for McAlester, Sallisaw, Stigler and Okemah in Oklahoma, according to the Extreme Heat Warning product issued by the National Weather Service Tulsa OK and posted to NOAA's raw text data server. The product, dated August 16, 2026, carries the official headline "EXTREME HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SUNDAY" and covers 22 zones.
The warning text states that heat index values from 110 to 115 are expected both Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, and that overnight lows in the upper 70s to lower 80s are expected Saturday night.
The warning area named in the product is, in Arkansas, Southern Crawford and North and Central Sebastian counties; and in Oklahoma, Central and Southern Sequoyah, Okfuskee, Haskell, McIntosh, Northern Le Flore, and Pittsburg counties. Cities listed in the warning area are Stigler, Spiro, Panama, Sallisaw, Fort Smith, Okemah, Pocola, Arkoma, Checotah, Van Buren, and McAlester.
The product lays out three consecutive periods: for the first Extreme Heat Warning, until 8 PM CDT this evening; for the Heat Advisory, from 8 PM this evening to noon CDT Sunday; and for the second Extreme Heat Warning, from noon to 8 PM CDT Sunday. The Sunday period runs from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. The alert is issued at the warning level, the most serious of the three, per the National Weather Service record.
On impacts, the National Weather Service Tulsa OK states that heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events, and that heat related illnesses are possible especially impacting those not acclimated to the conditions or those performing strenuous activities.
The precautions listed in the warning are to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. The product also advises taking extra precautions when outside, wearing lightweight and loose fitting clothing, trying to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening, and taking action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

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Sources

https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/raw/

Revision history

Version 217 Aug 2026, 14:50current
Rewrote the headline to name specific places from the record — Fort Smith, McAlester and Okfuskee County — and kept the record's exact time window (noon to 8 PM CDT Sunday). Added named counties to the dek (North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford, Okfuskee, Haskell, McIntosh, Pittsburg). Named the source record explicitly as the National Weather Service Tulsa OK Extreme Heat Warning product posted to NOAA's raw text data server, and quoted its official headline verbatim. Added the full three-period timeline from the record's 'when' field and stated the warning-level classification. All figures (110 to 115, upper 70s to lower 80s, 22 zones, noon to 8 PM CDT) printed as given; no facts added and no attribution removed.
Version 117 Aug 2026, 14:55current
First published.
Version 115 Aug 2026, 19:20
First published.

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