New tornado and flood warnings were issued in parts of the storm-ravaged South on Sunday, the latest threats from a multi-day bout of deadly, vicious weather that has left communities reeling across the United States.
Forecasters warn that cities will remain at risk for the rest of the week as river levels rise dangerously from Arkansas to Ohio, even as the skies brighten. Some rivers in Kentucky were expected to exceed flood stages by up to 15 feet as waterways began to crest Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville.
Accuweather reported tornado warnings in Alabama and Mississippi on Sunday, as well as flash flood warnings in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
“A life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flood event continues across the Lower Ohio Valley into the Mid-South,” the National Weather Service said Sunday, warning of “very large hail, damaging winds, and strong tornadoes” as well.
The torrential rains, which followed powerful tornadoes earlier last week, fueled flooding that ravaged states in the central and southern United States, shredding roofs, flattening homes and businesses, sending structures floating down rivers, and leaving thousands without power.
Hundreds of Kentucky roads were closed Sunday due to rising water and rockslides. Flooding ripped apart a railroad bridge near Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, derailing a train and plunging cars into the Warm Fork Springs River.
As of Sunday, Accuweather reported that some cities in Tennessee and Kentucky had received double-digit rainfall from the storms. According to the Weather Prediction Center, Mayfield, Kentucky, in the state’s western region, received the most rainfall at 13.4 inches.
On Wednesday and Thursday, a stationary atmospheric river — essentially a river in the sky — caused tornadoes and torrential rain from Arkansas to Illinois, which lasted into the weekend. Forecasters warned that the system could bring several months’ worth of rain to some areas.
At least 17 dead in severe weather
According to officials and published reports, at least 17 people have died as a result of the onslaught, with ten in Tennessee and seven in Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced on social media on Sunday that one person died as a result of the storm, and that damage had been reported in 14 counties across the state. Tate stated that authorities have received reports of damaged homes, downed trees, flooding, and power outages while damage assessments are underway.
Tragically, one fatality has been reported in Jasper County. Furthermore, one injury was reported in Pontotoc County. “Please pray for these Mississippians and their families,” Reeves stated. “The state of Mississippi remains in close contact with local emergency managers and will continue to respond as necessary.”
A young boy was swept away by floodwaters in Frankfurt, Kentucky, while walking to a school bus stop on Friday morning. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as Gabriel Andrews, nine.
“Kentucky, I have some tough news to share,” Gov. Andy Beshear said on X. “A child died this morning in Frankfort after being swept away by flood waters. My heart is broken for this family.”
Beshear cautioned Sunday that the state was not out of the woods. “Kentucky is experiencing record flooding, with over 500 roads closed. Rivers have not yet crested, so there is still a day or more of rising water. We’ve already lost two of our people, both God’s children who are loved by many,” he stated.
River flooding fears rise in Tennessee
In Tennessee, where the death toll from tornadoes and flooding has doubled in two days to ten, flooding risks persisted Sunday, particularly river flooding.
“Several rivers are expected to flood heavily,” said Krissy Hurley, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Nashville. “The Cumberland River in Clarksville and the Red River in Port Royal have “decent odds of hitting moderate and major flood stage.”
Among the storm deaths in the state is a Carroll County Electric lineman who was killed on the job Thursday during a severe weather outbreak in the early morning. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Chance Carlton, a lineman with the Carroll County Electric Department who died while working during the recent storms,” the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a social media post Sunday.
Carlton, 32, was remembered in an online death notice as a devoted husband, a father of two daughters, an active member of his Baptist church, and someone who enjoyed horseback trail riding and bird hunting with his two dogs.
Where are the storms headed?
The National Weather Service predicts that a stubborn frontal boundary will shift east on Sunday, bringing with it rain.
“With its eastward push, moisture along and ahead of the front will become focused from the Appalachians to the Central Gulf Coast, setting the stage for intense downpour producing thunderstorms throughout the day,” the National Weather Service predicted.
The chances of catastrophic flooding seen at the end of last week and over the weekend would decrease, forecasters said, but heavy rainfall could still cause significant flash flooding.