Extreme Heat Warning, Heat Index to 112, Covers Fort Smith and Eastern Oklahoma Into Wednesday Night
A National Weather Service Tulsa OK product places 29 zones from Sebastian and Crawford counties in Arkansas to McAlester and Muskogee in Oklahoma under an Extreme Heat Warning until 9 PM CDT Wednesday, with a Heat Advisory running until 8 PM CDT Tuesday evening.
4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 17, 2026, 6:53 p.m. ET
Hazard products are revised and cancelled as conditions change. Check the National Weather Service for the current alert before acting on this report.
We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 17, 2026, 4:13 p.m. ET — checked 17h ago.
Earlier reports
Aug 17, 2026, 7:25 p.m. ET
Extreme Heat Warning for North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford and Central and Southern Franklin, Plus 26 More Zones
An Extreme Heat Warning is in force for North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford and Central and Southern Franklin, along with 26 other zones across northwest and west central Arkansas and east central and southeast Oklahoma.
The hazard and its boundaries come from the National Weather Service Tulsa OK alert record for August 18, 2026, carried on the National Weather Service raw product feed. That record is headed HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING and sets the alert level at warning.
Under the Extreme Heat Warning, the record states, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 are expected. The Heat Advisory, with heat index values up to 108, remains in effect until 8 PM CDT this evening. The Extreme Heat Warning runs from 1 PM Tuesday, August 18, 2026, to 9 PM CDT Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
The alert covers 29 zones. Those named in the record are North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford, Central and Southern Franklin, Southern Sebastian, Pushmataha, Choctaw, Muskogee, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Haskell, Latimer, Northern Le Flore, Central and Southern Sequoyah, Central Le Flore and Southern Le Flore.
Cities listed inside the warned area include Huntington, Antlers, Fort Smith, Talihina, Poteau, Patterson, Sallisaw, Mansfield, Hartford, Wilburton, Van Buren, McAlester, Hugo, Stigler, Spiro, Charleston, Pocola, Panama, Arkoma, Checotah, Ozark, Cravens, Muskogee, Cecil and Clayton.
On impacts, the record states that heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events, and that heat related illnesses are possible, especially affecting those not acclimated to the conditions or those performing strenuous activities.
The precautions given in the record: 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. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Aug 17, 2026, 7:23 p.m. ET
Extreme Heat Warning Covers Sebastian, Crawford and Franklin Counties in Arkansas, Le Flore and Pittsburg in Oklahoma
Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events and are possible "especially impacting those not acclimated to the conditions or those performing strenuous activities," according to the National Weather Service alert record issued by the National Weather Service Tulsa OK and dated August 18, 2026, and published in the agency's raw text alert archive.
The record covers 29 zones across portions of northwest and west central Arkansas and east central and southeast Oklahoma. The named areas are North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford, Central and Southern Franklin, Southern Sebastian, Pushmataha, Choctaw, Muskogee, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Haskell, Latimer, Northern Le Flore, Central and Southern Sequoyah, Central Le Flore and Southern Le Flore.
Communities listed in the same record include Fort Smith, Van Buren, Charleston, Ozark, Cecil, Cravens, Hartford, Huntington, Mansfield and Patterson on the Arkansas side, and Poteau, Spiro, Pocola, Panama, Arkoma, Talihina, Wilburton, McAlester, Stigler, Sallisaw, Checotah, Muskogee, Clayton, Antlers and Hugo in Oklahoma.
Under the Extreme Heat Warning, the record describes dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 expected, from 1 PM Tuesday to 9 PM CDT Wednesday. A separate Heat Advisory, with heat index values up to 108, remains in effect until 8 PM CDT this evening. The alert record gives the warning period as beginning 1 p.m. Central time on August 18, 2026, and ending 9 p.m. Central time on August 19, 2026.
The issuing office advises residents in those areas to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. It also directs people to 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 they see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Aug 17, 2026, 6:53 p.m. ETFirst report
Extreme Heat Warning, Heat Index to 112, for Sebastian, Crawford and Franklin Counties and Southeast Oklahoma
Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 are expected across northwest and west central Arkansas and east central and southeast Oklahoma, according to the Extreme Heat Warning issued by the National Weather Service Tulsa OK and posted to the National Weather Service raw text product feed.
The warning record, dated August 18, 2026, puts the Extreme Heat Warning in force from 1:00 PM CDT on August 18, 2026, until 9:00 PM CDT on August 19, 2026 stated in the product as from 1 PM Tuesday to 9 PM CDT Wednesday. A separate Heat Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM CDT this evening, with heat index values up to 108.
The product covers 29 zones. Named in it are North and Central Sebastian, Southern Crawford, Central and Southern Franklin, Southern Sebastian, Pushmataha, Choctaw, Muskogee, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Haskell, Latimer, Northern Le Flore, Central and Southern Sequoyah, Central Le Flore and Southern Le Flore.
Cities listed in the same record include Huntington, Antlers, Fort Smith, Talihina, Poteau, Patterson, Sallisaw, Mansfield, Hartford, Wilburton, Van Buren, McAlester, Hugo, Stigler, Spiro, Charleston, Pocola, Panama, Arkoma, Checotah, Ozark, Cravens, Muskogee, Cecil and Clayton.
On impacts, the National Weather Service Tulsa OK states: "Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Heat related illnesses are possible especially impacting those not acclimated to the conditions or those performing strenuous activities."
The precautions section of the record advises the public to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. It also calls for extra precautions outside, lightweight and loose fitting clothing, limiting strenuous activities to early morning or evening, and taking action when symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke appear.
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- Version 117 Aug 2026, 23:54current
First published.
- Version 117 Aug 2026, 23:23current
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- Version 117 Aug 2026, 22:53current
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- Version 117 Aug 2026, 23:25current
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