A devastating storm system that pounded parts of the central United States with torrential rain and tornadoes is forecast to pass across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on April 21, bringing a slew of severe weather warnings.
“The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a minimal threat of tornadoes,” the National Weather Service stated.
Storms raged over the southern and Midwest of the United States over the weekend, killing at least three people in Oklahoma, including a 12-year-old boy, and causing flash floods that closed key highways. More than a half-dozen tornadoes have been reported, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, which destroyed two homes and damaged over 20 others.
Flash flood warnings and advisories were issued throughout the central United States, from Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky to Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Forecasters warn that while the storms are likely to decrease as they move east, flooding and tornadoes may still occur, particularly in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. On April 22, storms will sweep into the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing “wind gusts, hail, and a minimal threat of tornadoes.”
Rounds of storms will flood the central US this week.
Rounds of heavy rain will saturate a huge stretch of the Plains region this week, posing a new threat of flooding in already inundated places but providing some relief to drought-stricken others.
In addition to significant rainfall, the storms are likely to bring “frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes,” according to the National Weather Service.
“The rounds of rain will be very welcome for drought relief across the High Plains,” AccuWeather lead storm warning meteorologist Tristan Irish wrote in an online prediction.