Powerful storms are battering the U.S. South and Midwest, spawning damaging tornadoes and causing widespread flooding across multiple states. As of Thursday, at least four deaths have been reported, and the National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of ongoing life-threatening weather hazards.
The NWS has issued warnings for “a barrage of life-threatening weather hazards” in parts of the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South through Saturday.
Tornado Damage Reported:
Tornado damage has been confirmed in at least four states. Officials reported that a tornado injured four people in western Kentucky.
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In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency to provide funding for the severe weather response. “We have reports of storm and tornado damage from around the state,” she stated on X Wednesday night.
Missouri has also experienced significant tornado damage. An EF-1 tornado in Vernon County on Wednesday morning “knocked over” eight train carriages, damaged homes and businesses, and downed numerous trees. Tornado damage was also reported in Washington County, Missouri, near Potosi, and storm damage was reported near Brownsburg, Indiana.
The NWS’s Louisville, Kentucky, office reported a tornado “on the ground, passing the I-64/I-265 interchange” early Thursday, and its Paducah office announced that staff were sheltering in place.
Widespread Flooding:
The storms’ force has also led to widespread power outages, with an estimated 188,000 customers without power in Indiana. Video shared on social media showed power lines on fire in Evansville, Indiana.
The NWS warns that rainfall totals in the hardest-hit areas could equal several months’ worth of typical April rain in just four to five days. Roadways were flooded in Indianapolis late Wednesday, with images showing submerged vehicles.
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The NWS has described the situation as an “increasingly significant setup” with the potential for “catastrophic” flooding, calling Wednesday “only the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event.”
Rainfall totals could exceed 15 inches in some locations through Sunday, creating what forecasters are calling an “extreme flooding scenario.”
Forecasters are particularly concerned about the Mid-South, including northeastern Arkansas, northwestern Tennessee, and western Kentucky. The NWS in Memphis warned of “generational flooding” in northwestern Tennessee, describing the event as “rare, high-impact, and potentially devastating.”
The NWS in Little Rock issued a “particularly dangerous situation” flash flood watch, emphasizing the severity of the event: “A heavy rainfall event of this magnitude falling within 4 days is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime.” Forecasters warned that even areas not typically prone to flooding are at risk.
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