HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. – Heavy Midwest and Southern rains and flash floods were massacred Friday, killing a Kentucky boy. Many communities were upset by a tornado that destroyed the entire neighborhood and killed at least seven people earlier this week.
The round after heavy rains hit the central US for several days, warning forecasters that it could last until Saturday. The satellite image showed thunderstorms lined up like freight trains from communities in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the National Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.
In Frankfort, Kentucky, Gov. Andy Besher spoke on social media after a 9-year-old boy died in the morning and floods drove him away while walking to the school bus stop. Officials said Gabriel Andrews’ body was found about half a mile from where he went missing.
The downtown area of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, (a city of 31,000 residents 72 miles northwest of Nashville) has been submerged. Dozens of people were rescued from the homes and dozens of pets left the rising water, according to fire officials.
“The main artery passing through Hopkinsville is probably two feet below the surface,” Christian County Jerry Gilliam said previously.
Tony Kilbeth and some friends used punching bags and vacuums to cover the basement and try to contain the rising water that permeated the ground floor of his photography business in Hopkinsville. Downtown is “like a lake,” he said.
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“We’re holding the ground,” he said. “We’re trying to keep it as long as we can.”
The corridor from northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri, with a population of about 2.3 million, was able to see clusters of severe thunderstorms late Friday. The National Weather Service’s Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center warned of severe tornadoes and potential for a big h.
Flash flood threats loom in many states
It was published on Friday night in at least four cities in southeastern Missouri, according to the NWS. One is in Van Buren, with at least 15 water rescues in the current river, which is rapidly rising, according to Justin Gibbs, a weather officer with the Weather Service.
“Unfortunately, it was as bad as we expected,” he said.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in parts of Missouri, Kentucky and other places, and dangerous flash flooding could occur. The Weather Service expects 45 river locations in multiple states to reach major flood stages, with widespread flooding of structures, roads and other critical infrastructure as much as possible.
In Christian County, including Hopkinsville, 6 to 10 inches fell since Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said Friday afternoon. The rains have caused small rivers to surge banks, potentially 4-8 inches more by Sunday, he said.
The pet boarding business was underwater, forcing rescuers to move dozens of dogs to local animal shelters, according to county executive Gilliam. Christian County Emergency Management Director Randy Graham said the crew rescued people from four or five vehicles and multiple homes, mostly by boat.
“This is the worst thing I’ve seen downtown,” Gilliam said.
Hundreds of Kentucky roads are unable to pass due to flooding, fallen trees, mud and rock slides, and the number of closures is likely to increase at the end of Friday and Saturday, Besher said.
According to Kentucky Transportation, the landslide blocked about three miles of the Mary Ingress Highway in the northern state. Landslides closed roads in the same section in 2019 and reopened last year, WLWT-TV reported.
Flash floods are particularly bothering you in rural Kentucky. There, water from the mountain into the hole can run over. Less than four years later, dozens of people died in floods in the eastern part of the state.
Extreme flooding across corridors, including Louisville, Kentucky and Memphis, which have major cargo hubs, could also lead to delays in transportation and supply chains, according to Jonathan Porter, Accuweather’s chief meteorologist.
The swollen rivers and tributaries also overwhelmed several parts in Ohio, with Gov. Mike DeWine saying about 70 roads have been closed. It was expected that moderate flooding would be seen in the southern half of the state, but this has not happened in four years, he added.
The predictors attributed it to intense temperatures, unstable atmospheres, strong wind shear and abundant water flow from the Gulf Coast. Since the outbreak began on Wednesday, the National Weather Service has issued at least 318 tornado warnings.
The explosion comes when almost half of the National Weather Service forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates after Trump administration’s job openings have been cut.
Tornadoes leave a path to damage and more can come
At least two reports of observed tornadoes were confirmed in Missouri and Arkansas on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Hide it now!” The Weather Service said in X according to what is on earth around the small Missouri town advance.
Seven people were killed in the first waves of the storm that produced a powerful tornado earlier in the week in Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana on Wednesday and early Thursday.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the entire Selmer neighborhood in the town of Hardhit has been “completely wiped out” after being hit by a windy tornado estimated by NWs of up to 160 mph. The storm’s advance warning likely saved lives as hundreds of people were evacuated in court, the governor said.
In neighboring Arkansas, a tornado near Blytheville painted debris at least 25,000 feet tall, according to weather services meteorologist Cherry Amin. The state emergency management office reported damage to 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind, h and flash floods.
The bulldozer cleaned the tiled rub along the highway across Lake City. There, 150 mph winds shattered the roof from the house, knocking down brick walls, and crossing a tornado on the roof that threw cars into the trees.
The Mississippi governor said at least 60 homes have been damaged. And four people were injured in western Kentucky while evacuating to vehicles under a church carport, according to the Ballard County Emergency Management Department.
George Walker IV and Bruce Schleiner
