Severe weather sent torrential downpours over large areas of the South and Midwest over the weekend, leaving at least 18 dead by April 6 as communities were hit by overnight tornado and flash flood warnings.
Weather forecasters say the flooding could cause waterways to rise for days to come, as many impacted areas are already waterlogged by the storms that also created deadly tornadoes. Communities in Alabama and Mississippi experienced overnight tornado warnings, while flash flood warnings were sent to multiple counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
Utilities in multiple states have rushed to shut down power and gas, with cities closing roads and deploying sandbags to safeguard homes and businesses.
On April 5, downpours caused flash flooding throughout the central United States, quickly filling waterways and causing emergencies across a path from Texas to Ohio. Of the 18 people who have died since the storms started, 10 were in Tennessee.
Dozens of areas in several states are expected to reach what the National Weather Service calls “major flood stage,” the agency said, with massive flooding to roads, structures, bridges, and other important infrastructure.
On the evening of April 4, a 57-year-old man died after climbing out of a car that had washed off a road in West Plains, Missouri. Two died in Kentucky from flooding, including a 9-year-old boy who was pulled away by flood waters on his way to school and a 74-year-old whose body was found on April 5 in a submerged vehicle in Nelson County, according to authorities.
Another death was reported on April 5 when a weather-related incident killed a 5-year-old in a home in Little Rock, Arkansas, police said, with no other details immediately provided.
Earlier in the week, tornadoes destroyed entire neighborhoods and killed at least seven.
Throughout the United States, 521 flights were canceled, and more than 6,400 flights were delayed coming into or leaving the country, according to FlightAware.com, which had reported 478 delays and 74 cancellations of U.S. flights by early morning on April 6.
Extensive flooding across major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis could result in shipping delays, according to AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
The Ohio River rose 5 feet in 24 hours and will continue to swell for the coming days, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said on April 5.
“We expect this to be one of the top 10 flooding events in Louisville history,” he said.
Flash Flooding Hits Several States
On April 5, areas across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky were subject to flash flood emergencies and tornado warnings, with heavy rains and damaging winds reported. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch on the morning of April 6, with hundreds of roads across the state becoming impassable from floodwaters, downed trees, mud, and rock slides.James R. Knight Jr., mayor of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, said the city’s downtown reopened on the morning of April 6 after floodwaters from the Little River receded, although more rain is expected.
“We got a little rain, but most of it went north of us,” he said. “Thank goodness on that. Gave us a little break.”
Emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth, a community that houses 2,000 people in a bend of the swelling Licking River in north-central Kentucky. Those warnings stirred memories of destructive flooding from nearly 30 years ago when that river reached a record 50 feet, killing five and destroying 1,000 homes.
Weather officials told residents in Arkansas to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary as widespread flooding filled roadways.
A railroad bridge in Mammoth Spring was covered by floodwaters, according to BNSF Railway, resulting in the derailment of multiple cars. There were no injuries reported, although there were no immediate estimates for when the bridge would reopen.
More than a foot of rain has hit parts of Kentucky since April 2, including more than 8 inches over parts of Arkansas and Missouri, weather forecasters said on April 5.
They said warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, heavy wind shear, and abundant moisture flowing from the Gulf of America caused the violent weather conditions.
On the evening of April 4, at least two reports of spotted tornadoes were noted in Missouri and Arkansas, the National Weather Service said. Near Blytheville, Arkansas, one tornado sent debris at least 25,000 feet into the air, according to meteorologist Chelly Amin. The Arkansas Emergency Management Office reported damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind, flash flooding, and hail.
Dozens of residents piled into a storm shelter near a public school in Dyersburg, Tennessee, in the rain on April 5, holding blankets, pillows, and other necessities.
