On Saturday, the downpour caused flash floods in central America, causing an emergency across the road from Texas to Ohio.
The harsh weather sent torrential rains over the weekend across the south and the Midwest, with at least 16 deaths by April 6th, and communities suffering overnight tornadoes and flash flood warnings.
Weatherers say the floods could cause the waterways to rise for several days as many shocked areas have already been flooded by storms that have already produced deadly tornadoes. Communities in Alabama and Mississippi received overnight tornado warnings, but flash flood warnings were sent to multiple counties in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.
On Saturday, heavy rains caused flash floods in central America, quickly filling the waterways and causing an emergency across the road from Texas to Ohio. At least 16 people have been killed since the storm began, and 10 have been killed in Tennessee alone.
Dozens of regions in several states are expected to reach what the National Weather Service calls “the major flood stage,” saying there are massive flooding in roads, structures, bridges and other critical infrastructure.
A 57-year-old man died Friday evening after climbing from a car washed away from a road in West Plains, Missouri. Authorities say the two died in the flood.
Another death was reported Saturday in the murder of a 5-year-old child at a Little Rock, Arkansas home, police said, but no other details were immediately provided.
Earlier in the week, the tornado destroyed the entire neighborhood, killing at least seven people.
According to FlightAware.com, 521 flights have been cancelled across the US, with over 6,400 flights coming and going.
Transportation delays can occur when major flooding across major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, Kentucky and Memphis can occur, according to Accuweather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
The Ohio River will rise five feet in 24 hours and continue to swell for the next few days, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said on Saturday.
“We expect this to be one of the top 10 flood events in Louisville’s history,” he said.
Flash floods hit some states
On Saturday, areas in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky were subject to flash flood emergency and tornado warnings as heavy rain and windy winds blew. All Eastern Kentucky, located under the flood clock on Sunday morning, became unaccessible to hundreds of roads across the state from flood, fallen trees, mud and rock slides.
Mayor James R. Knight Jr. of Hopkinsville, Ky., said downtown city reopened Sunday morning after floods receding from Little River, but it’s raining, but more rain.
“It rained a bit, but most of it went north of us,” he said. “Thank you for the goodness about it. It gave me a little break.”
Emergency officials ordered forced evacuation of Falmouth, a 2,000-person community located at the bend of the swollen Licking River in central Kentucky. These warnings spark memories of the devastating floods nearly 30 years ago, when the river reached a 50-foot record, killing five people and destroying 1,000 homes.
Weather officials have told Arkansas residents to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary as a road filled with widespread flooding.
According to BNSF Railway, the Mammoth Spring railway bridge was covered in floods, causing multiple vehicles to derail. No injuries were reported, but there were no immediate estimates as to when the bridge would resume.
The weather forecaster said on Saturday that more than a foot of Kentucky has been raining since Wednesday, including parts of Arkansas and Missouri.
They said warm temperatures, unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture flowing from the bay caused violent weather conditions.
On Friday evening, Missouri and Arkansas were allowed to report at least two tornadoes, the National Weather Service said. A tornado sent at least 25,000 feet of debris into the air near Blytheville, Arkansas, according to female olologist Cherry Amin. The Arkansas Emergency Management Office reported damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, winds, flash floods and hail.
Dozens of residents piled up in a storm shelter near a public school in Dyersburg, Tennessee on Saturday, carrying blankets, pillows and other essentials.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
