A week of powerful storms that swept through the South and Midwest, killing at least 16 people, is still wreaking significant havoc in the region this weekend.
The weather-related death toll includes a man who was killed by flood waters in Nelson County, Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear reported Saturday morning, as well as a first responder in Missouri.
The first responder was pronounced dead Saturday at Mercy Hospital Washington in Washington, Missouri, about 50 miles west of St. Louis, after he was involved in a vehicle crash en route to a water rescue, according to a statement from the Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District.
The crash left him critically injured before he was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead, the district in nearby Beaufort, Missouri, said. Another person injured in the wreck was hospitalized in unknown condition, it said.
Fire Chief Terry Feth said the first responder died trying to help others. "Our entire department is grieving," the chief said.
On Saturday, an initial damage assessment by Tennessee's McNairy County Emergency Management Agency found that a 160 mph, EF3 tornado destroyed 108 structures and damaged 70 in the community on Thursday.
"As we always do, we will come together as a community to recover from this event, and help each other," the agency said in a statement Friday.
State emergency management officials said Saturday that five Tennessee National Guard high-water vehicles have been deployed to assist with search and rescue operations in Obion County.
Severe weather and the potential for heavy rain continued to move east Saturday night as it made its way into the Tennessee River Valley, the Southern Appalachians and the southeastern Piedmont, eventually reaching the coast on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Tornado watches were expected to continue to be issued through midnight for parts of the mid-South and South, stretching from Texas to Kentucky.
Severe weather, including a "life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic" flash flooding event will continue to impact the lower Ohio Valley through to the Ark-La-Tex region (where Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas join together) on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Around 73 million people are under flood alerts — including flood advisories, watches and warnings, the later indicating life-threatening flooding is imminent or underway — from Texas to western Pennsylvania, the weather service said. Alerts were likely to remain in place through Sunday morning.
"Deep moisture pooling along the front combined with impressive dynamics will set the stage for persistent rounds of intense thunderstorms capable of producing torrential downpours throughout the region," the weather service said in an update Saturday morning. "This will especially be the case for the Ozarks and Mid-South, where the best moisture, instability, and forcing overlap."
The same areas that were hit hard by storms throughout the week could receive “repeated rounds of heavy rainfall,” leading to historic rainfall accumulations over saturated soils, the weather service said.
Rainfall totals since Wednesday have surpassed 4 to 8 inches, with over 12 inches of rain reported in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. The highest rainfall report so far is 13.40 inches in Mayfield, Kentucky. Saturday is forecast to be the final day in this high impact flood event across the Mid-South and Mississippi Valley, with an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain possible by Sunday morning.
Strong winds and rain could be seen in Little Rock, Arkansas Saturday morning in a video shared on X. Winds as strong as 67 mph were reported in the city, according to the National Weather Service field office in Little Rock.
A train was derailed in Mammoth Spring State Park in northern Arkansas when part of the train bridge collapsed due to flooding, according to local officials. No injuries were reported.
"BNSF Railway is sending a fleet of equipment and workers to the park that are expected to arrive this afternoon to begin working on the track and bridge," said Katie Fite, chief of communications for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Saturday that President Donald Trump approved the state's request for an Emergency Declaration to assist in its response to ongoing storms since Wednesday.
The Ohio River had risen more than five feet over 24 hours and is expected to rise another 10 feet in the upcoming days, according to Kentucky officials. A house could be seen floating down a river in Frankfort, Kentucky.
The Kentucky Derby Festival's kickoff airshow event, Thunder Over Louisville, was canceled due to floods. The event was originally planned for April 12.
"This weather event and flooding is like nothing we’ve faced before — especially this close to Thunder,” Kentucky Derby Festival President Matt Gibson said in a statement. "While we’d love to bring everyone together on Saturday to watch one of the best air shows and fireworks shows in the country — we know it’s not logistically possible and would not be safe to do so."
Some areas may see anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of rain, which will likely lead rivers to overflow and cause major flooding across the Ozarks, portions of the lower Ohio Valley and lower to middle Mississippi Valleys, according to the weather service. A high risk (around 70%) of excessive rainfall is in effect through Saturday.
Flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of Tennessee and Arkansas until 3:30 p.m. C.T., including Nashville and Blytheville.
A Tornado Watch was issued until 7 p.m. CT from east Texas to Tennessee, including Shreveport, Little Rock and Memphis. Around 25 million people remain at risk for severe thunderstorms Saturday in this region, impacting the cities of Memphis, Shreveport, Houston, Nashville and New Orleans.
In Tennessee, over 10 inches of rain are forecast for the Memphis area, and around Nashville, 70 mph winds, large hail and tornadoes are possible, the weather service said.
Texarkana, Texas, reported about 7 inches of rain over 24 hours, which led to significant flooding on the roads, according to a Texarkana Police Department Facebook post Saturday morning.
“Unfortunately, the risk of major river flooding will likely continue into early next week, long after the last drop of rain has fallen,” the weather service said.
Over 152,000 utility customers from Texas to Tennessee were in the dark Saturday night, according to PowerOutage.US.
