On Saturday, parts of the South and Midwest were ravaged by relentless rain and violent tornadoes as a prolonged period of life-threatening flood risk reached its peak. A band of severe storms sweeping from Texas to Ohio has tragically resulted in at least 16 fatalities since Wednesday. Among the victims was a 5-year-old boy found in a storm-damaged home in Little Rock, Arkansas, according to emergency officials. Local police discovered the child after responding to a medical call at the residence on Saturday.
In Kentucky, a 9-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters while on his way to a school bus stop in Franklin County on Friday, as reported by police. Additionally, a 74-year-old man was found dead in a fully submerged vehicle in nearby Nelson County on Saturday, according to the local sheriff. The state of Tennessee alone has reported at least 10 storm-related deaths, with flash flood warnings issued across multiple counties.
As of Saturday, tens of millions of residents were under flood watches and severe storm alerts across the central United States, as per the Storm Prediction Center. Active alerts remain in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi through Sunday morning. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the region were without power by early Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. Arkansas experienced the most significant impact, with nearly 75,000 residents left in the dark overnight.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued warnings about the possibility of “generational” flooding, stemming from a stagnation in the current weather pattern that has caused a series of storms to repeatedly hit the same areas in the central and southern United States. By Sunday, the stagnant pattern is expected to break, allowing the storms to push eastward. However, storm threats will persist for the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Georgia on Sunday, while the flood threat for Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky is anticipated to diminish by Sunday afternoon.
Rising floodwaters have disrupted communities and major roadways, leading to the closure of parts of several highways in Tennessee and Kentucky. The NWS is urging drivers to “turn around” if they encounter flooded roadways. In Memphis, Tennessee, sections of Interstate 40 have been closed due to standing water, while portions of Interstate 69 in Daviess County, Kentucky were temporarily shut down because of high water, as reported by CNN affiliate WTHR.
Videos from the scene depict roads swelling under heavy rain in Cordova, Tennessee, located about 25 miles east of Memphis. Rescue crews from the Tennessee Department of Transportation have been assisting drivers navigating flooded roadways, including those who have resorted to driving on the shoulder of I-40 near the Danny Thomas Boulevard exit to avoid flooded lanes. According to Gov. Andy Beshear, at least 390 roads were closed across Kentucky on Saturday morning due to flooding, mudslides, and rockslides. The governor declared a state of emergency for the western part of the state, citing unprecedented rainfall in areas unaccustomed to flooding.
The Ohio River, traversing through Louisville, Kentucky, has risen more than 5 feet over the last 24 hours and is expected to increase significantly over the next few days, as stated by Mayor Craig Greenberg. Meanwhile, in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, heavy floodwaters washed out a bridge, derailing multiple train cars, as reported by BNSF Railway. Recovery efforts have been complicated by continuous rain, with some train cars fully submerged.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump approved Arkansas’ request for an Emergency Declaration for Direct Federal Assistance to help the state manage its response to the storms, tornadoes, and flooding, as confirmed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The extreme flooding affecting states that serve as major cargo hubs is expected to dramatically impact interstate commerce, leading to significant shipping and supply chain delays, according to Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.
In a worrying trend, Saturday marked the tenth consecutive day of tornado activity in parts of the country, with the seventh straight day seeing tornadoes east of the Mississippi River. Damage was reported in northeast Texas following a series of tornadoes, injuring one person and causing damage to at least one home due to toppled trees. On Saturday, the Mississippi Department of Transportation released video footage showing a potential tornado moving through the New Albany area on Interstate 22.
Damage survey teams from the NWS have given preliminary ratings to at least 31 tornadoes across eight states since the outbreak began on Wednesday. So far, they have identified three tornadoes rated at least EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale in Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Further surveys may take days to complete, as some have been delayed due to ongoing hazardous weather conditions.
