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- Severe storms wreak havoc across regions from Texas to Michigan.
- NWS anticipates these storms are “just the start of a multi-day catastrophe.”
- Two weather-related fatalities confirmed in McNairy and Obion counties.
The National Weather Service issued a warning on Thursday about potentially “generational” flooding in the southern and midwestern United States as storms swept through areas from Texas to Michigan, generating tornadoes and resulting in two deaths.
On Wednesday alone, at least 19 tornadoes made landfall, causing destruction to homes and businesses, injuring at least eight individuals, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
The NWS characterized this situation as merely “the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event.”
States including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi are now bracing for a “generational flood event,” with forecasts predicting as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in certain areas by the weekend, raising concerns about rivers overflowing.
The Tennessee Department of Health has reported two fatalities linked to the weather in McNairy and Obion counties. Additionally, four people sustained injuries in Craighead County, Arkansas, while another four, including one in critical condition, were hurt when a tornado struck a church in Ballard County, Kentucky, according to local reports.
BNSF Railroad reported a freight train derailment near the storm-affected city of Bay, Arkansas, although the cause has not yet been determined.
Late Wednesday, states including Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee declared emergencies in response to the severe weather.
The National Weather Service indicated that regions of Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas were under a heightened risk for severe thunderstorms on Thursday, warning of additional tornadoes, hail, and life-threatening flooding.
“Tonight’s forecast is chaotic,” remarked Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the NWS. “This is a vast stretch of storms moving slowly east, reaching from southeast Michigan down to southeastern Arkansas.”
According to Missouri’s Emergency Management Agency, a tornado that struck Nevada, Missouri, inflicted “major damage to several businesses, uprooted power poles, and turned over multiple (unmanned) train cars…”
More than 400,000 customers lost power due to the storms, as reported by PowerOutage.us.
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