Tornadoes and violent storms tore through the South and Midwest on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and 10 others injured. The storms toppled trees and power lines, destroyed homes, and sent debris soaring thousands of feet into the air.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed that one fatality occurred in the southeast region due to the storm's impact, reported Associated Press.
A tornado emergency was issued briefly for northeast Arkansas, with the National Weather Service warning residents via social media: "This is a life threatening situation. Seek shelter now."
Numerous tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Mississippi as the storm system moved through, affecting these and surrounding states.
Damage Across Multiple States
Earlier in the day, an EF1 tornado was confirmed to have struck Vernon County, Missouri, overturning eight train cars and causing extensive damage to trees, according to the National Weather Service.
In Lake City, Missouri, videos shared showed a large funnel cloud over the community of nearly 2,600 people. Although there was severe property damage, no fatalities or injuries had been reported immediately.
In Pilot Grove, Missouri, the storm caused serious damage, flipping vehicles and snapping power poles. Minor injuries were reported in the area, while roads were closed due to downed trees and utility lines near Potosi, located southwest of St. Louis.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe activated the National Guard to assist in response efforts as the state dealt with widespread destruction.
Severe Weather Extends to Indiana and Beyond
Heavy rain from thunderstorms swept through parts of Indiana on Wednesday evening, causing widespread flooding in the area. In Indianapolis, at least one street was submerged, with water rising almost to the windows of several cars. Fortunately, no one was in the vehicles at the time.
Nearly 90,000 people in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee lost power due to the storms, as reported by PowerOutage.us. As the storms continued eastward, power outages affected over 182,000 customers in Indiana alone.
Tornado activity was also reported near Harrisburg, Arkansas, later in the day.
The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and flash flooding. The destructive weather comes nearly two years after an EF-3 tornado devastated Little Rock, Arkansas, leaving major destruction in its wake, though no fatalities were recorded.
Long-Track Tornadoes Alert
The Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma indicated that more than 90 million people were at risk of severe weather across a vast area spanning from Texas to Minnesota and Maine. Nearly 2.5 million people were placed in a "high-risk" zone, which included parts of west Tennessee, northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, and regions of western Kentucky and southern Illinois.
The highest-level alert issued by the National Weather Service is rarely given.
The center warned of the likelihood of "multiple long-track EF3+ tornadoes," which are among the most destructive on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
It remains unclear whether there were any casualties in the area.
Flash Flooding, Storms Forecast
In addition to the tornadoes, forecasters are predicting high flash flooding risks for the coming days, as severe thunderstorms continue to move eastward. The National Weather Service warned of "life-threatening flash flooding" each day through Saturday, as the storm system strengthens, NBC reported.
On Wednesday evening, more than 37 million people were under flood watch, stretching from Texarkana, Texas, to Detroit and Ohio, according to weather service advisory maps.
Some areas are expected to receive over 6 inches of rain by Thursday.
The National Weather Service warned that northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, western Kentucky, and parts of Illinois and Indiana could see rainfall totals reaching up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) over the next seven days.
Some areas of Kentucky and Indiana face an especially high risk for dangerous flooding. Cities including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Louisville, Kentucky, also faced a heightened risk for severe weather.
Communities are being urged to prepare for the storm and anticipate "severe disruptions to daily life given the expected extreme rainfall and flood risk."
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.
Originally published on IBTimes
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