At least two dozen people were recently killed across seven states in the U.S. South and Midwest. Several days of heavy rain starting April 2 from simultaneous storms and tornadoes led to severe flooding across the region.
The same area experienced a string of tornadoes and storms in mid-March that caused widespread damage and killed more than 30 people. Many communities were still reeling from those storms before being hit again this month.
Local media reported that the latest storms and tornadoes started April 2 in Tennessee, where 10 people were killed. Flooding killed another five people in Kentucky, two each in Arkansas and Georgia, and three in Missouri, including a 16-year-old volunteer firefighter who died in a car crash on the way to rescue residents. At least one death each was recorded in Indiana and Mississippi.
In Kentucky, a 74-year-old man was found dead inside his fully submerged vehicle, prompting law enforcement to warn residents against crossing flooded roads.
By April 4, flash flood emergencies were issued in several cities across Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. The National Weather Service released more than 300 tornado warnings. Drone footage and videos from Reuters show entire neighborhoods flooded.
In Kentucky, more than 500 roads were no longer passable on April 6 because of mudslides and floods. The Associated Press reported that the Kentucky River rose to more than 48 feet (nearly 15 meters), just short the 1978 record high and the 51 ft (15.5 m) the floodwall system is designed to contain. A local fire department official told media it was “one of those once-in-a-generation type storms that you may never see again.”
However, the nonprofit Climate Central reported that heavy rainfall events like this are becoming increasingly common with climate change, which it says is “supercharging the water cycle” and causing heavier rainfall and floods in the U.S. The largest average increases are in the Upper Midwest, Northern Rockies and Plains, and Ohio Valley.
Time reported 6,400 delayed flights and hundreds more canceled as warm temperatures coincided with an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
Utility companies shut off power and gas in states from Texas to Ohio, affecting tens of thousands of households. Cities used inflatable boats to rescue residents in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Weather forecaster AccuWeather estimated that the flooding and storms caused $80 billion to $90 billion worth of property damage and economic loss.
As of April 8, new storms were still being forecasted for some southern states, but these are not expected to be as severe as the recent rainfall events, the Weather Channel reported.
Banner image of severe thunderstorms over the central and southern U.S. via NOAA Satellites.
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