At least 17 people have been killed amid deadly flash floods that took aim at the region this weekend.
A weekend of heavy rainfall and deadly flash flooding continues for parts of the South and Midwest, with around 34 million people under flood alerts across the Mid-South and Southeast on Sunday.
At least 17 people have been killed as a result of severe weather, with a majority of the deaths — 10 — reported in Tennessee. The latest death, a 57-year-old O’Fallon, Missouri man whose car entered flood waters, was reported Sunday morning by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
On Saturday, storms produced strong winds, large hail and a few tornadoes to portions of the lower Ohio Valley and lower to middle Mississippi Valleys.
The same threats are shifting eastward Sunday into the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains and the Southeast, including the region stretching from eastern Louisiana to eastern Tennessee. The risk area includes Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
“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 downpours producing thunderstorms throughout the day,” the weather service said. “A broad Slight Risk (level 2/4) remains in place while a targeted Moderate Risk (level 3/4) has been introduced across central Alabama and extreme west-central Georgia.”
While the storm system is no longer expected to beget the same caliber of flash flooding it has in previous days, it is still forecast to bring heavy rainfall to the region, which can cause significant flash flooding, according to the weather service. The risk level will continue to decrease, downgrading to a 1 out of 4, or Marginal Risk, on Monday.
A severe weather risk will also shift east to the southern Mid-Atlantic and Southeast on Sunday into Monday, potentially bringing severe thunderstorms, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes to the region, the weather service said. About 11 million people in the region are at Slight Risk for severe weather, including in Atlanta and Birmingham.
“The Storm Prediction Center continues to maintain Slight Risks (level 2/5) from northern Georgia to the central Gulf Coast on Sunday, and from southeast Georgia to northern Florida on Monday,” the weather service said.
This threat will linger in the Southeast Sunday night and into Monday, impacting 3 million people in Jacksonville and Tallahassee in Florida and Savannah, Georgia. Strong 60 mph winds, tornadoes and quarter-sized hail will all be possible.
Behind this strong storm system, temperatures will dip 10 to 25 degrees below average from the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes. Highs on Sunday will range from the 40’s to the 50’s in the afternoon, with overnight lows in the 20’s to 40’s.
Freeze Alerts are in effect for 27 million Sunday night, including Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis and Indianapolis. Temperatures will generally stay below average for the eastern half of the country through Tuesday, with seasonal highs returning for the second half of the week.
