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A series of severe storms has unleashed destructive weather across parts of the South and Midwest, resulting in the loss of at least two lives, significant property damage, fallen power lines, and uprooted trees.
On Wednesday evening, tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued across numerous states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Mississippi. Reports indicated that several tornadoes may have touched down overnight, with particularly severe activity noted in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Experts credited the violent conditions to a combination of daytime heating, an unstable atmospheric environment, robust wind shear, and significant moisture influx from the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol, one person was confirmed deceased in southeast Missouri, as per a report by CBS Cape Girardeau affiliate KFVS-TV. Additionally, a warehouse in a suburb of Indianapolis partially collapsed, resulting in at least one individual being temporarily trapped inside. In northeast Arkansas, a rare tornado emergency warning was issued as debris was projected thousands of feet into the air.
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed two fatalities related to the storms, with one occurring in McNairy County, outside Memphis, and the other in Obion County, located in the far northwest of Tennessee.
Severe Weather Forecast: “Once in a generation” Rainfall
The forecast for the following days indicates an ongoing risk of life-threatening flash flooding as powerful thunderstorms continue to sweep eastward. The National Weather Service has warned that this round of severe weather could bring “significant, life-threatening flash flooding” often characterized as a “once in a generation” event.
Projections suggest that over the next four days, certain areas may experience more than a foot of rain, prompting officials to caution that the rainfall amounts could be historic. As noted by the Storm Prediction Center based in Oklahoma, more than 90 million people across a vast region stretching from Texas to Minnesota and Maine are at some degree of risk for severe weather.
Preliminary Impact and Damage Reports
A tornado emergency, indicating the highest level of alert, was briefly declared in the vicinity of Blytheville, Arkansas, on Wednesday night, where debris was noted to be carried at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet, according to meteorologist Chelly Amin. Reports confirmed that a tornado was on the ground near Harrisburg, Arkansas, during the evening hours.
The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management indicated damage had been reported across 22 counties due to tornadoes, potent wind gusts, hail, and flash flooding. Notably, four individuals sustained injuries; however, as of Wednesday evening, no fatalities related to these incidents were reported in Arkansas.
In Kentucky, a tornado made landfall on Wednesday night near Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville, affecting an area near the busy Interstate 64 and Interstate 265 interchange. Four individuals were reported injured when debris struck a church, with one person in critical condition while three others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Additionally, the police department in Brownsburg, Indiana, advised against travel in the area following the collapse of part of a warehouse. In a separate incident, strong winds overturned five semitrucks on Interstate 65 near Lowell, Indiana, as state police reported widespread disruptions.
In response to ongoing power outages at several schools, Indianapolis Public Schools announced a shift to remote learning for Thursday, impacting at least ten districts across Indiana that have either canceled or postponed in-person classes.
The small town of Delta in southern Missouri, with a population of less than 400, faced considerable challenges as fallen power lines, damaged structures, and blocked roads compounded recovery efforts. Superintendent David Heeb posted an update, explaining that school would be canceled for the remainder of the week to allow families to address urgent needs in the aftermath of the damage.
Reports from Pilot Grove, Missouri, detailed multiple structures suffering damage, including flipped vehicles and snapped power poles. In eastern Missouri, officials are investigating damage incidents to confirm whether a tornado affected the area.
A tornado was also reported in Owasso, Oklahoma, causing significant roofing damage to homes and knocking over trees, fences, and utility poles. Fortunately, no injuries were immediately reported from that incident.
Power outages affected over 330,000 customers across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee by Thursday morning, according to sources tracking nationwide outages.
Heavy rains from the storms inundated parts of Indiana on Wednesday night, resulting in at least one street in Indianapolis being flooded to the point of nearly reaching vehicle windows, although no individuals were present in the vehicles.
More severe rainfall is expected to continue to affect portions of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley through the weekend. Forecasters caution that persistent storms could lead to dangerous flash flooding, with the potential to sweep away vehicles and cause further disruption.
Mark Rose from the National Weather Service noted that Middle Tennessee is particularly vulnerable, as severe storms are predicted to be followed by several days of heavy rainfall. “I’ve been here 30 years, and I’ve never seen a weather pattern like this,” he remarked, commenting on the weather front’s stalled nature.
Forecasts indicate that northeastern Arkansas, the southeast corner of Missouri, western Kentucky, and parts of southern Illinois and Indiana could see rain totals reaching up to 15 inches over the coming week, heightening the risk of flooding particularly in Kentucky and Indiana.
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