On Saturday, downpours caused flash flooding throughout the central United States and causing emergencies across a path from Texas to Ohio.
Severe weather sent torrential downpours over large areas of the South and Midwest over the weekend, leaving at least 16 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 had overnight tornado warnings, while flash flood warnings were sent to multiple counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
On Saturday, downpours caused flash flooding throughout the central United States, quickly filling waterways and causing emergencies across a path from Texas to Ohio. At least 16 have died since the storms started, with 10 in Tennessee alone.
Dozens of areas in several states are expected to reach what the National Weather Services calls “major flood stage,” the agency said, with massive flooding to roads, structures, bridges, and other important infrastructure.
On Friday evening, 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 Saturday in a submerged vehicle in Nelson County, according to authorities.
Another death was reported on Saturday 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 decimated 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 Sunday.
Extensive flooding across major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis could result in shipping delays, according to AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
By Jacob Burg
