Deadly storms with flooding rain and tornadoes leave path of destruction in multiple states
Tornadoes, flooding rain and snow wreaked havoc across multiple states Tuesday, in a storm system that has already killed at least two people, destroyed buildings, uprooted trees and downed power lines.
As many as 27 million people are under risk of severe storms Wednesday as the destructive storm system moves east and is forecast to bring heavy rain, floods, high winds and severe winter weather from Maine to Florida.
In the past 24 hours, there have been 12 reports of tornadoes across six states — Alabama, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia and Kentucky. Multiple EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed in Jessamine, Anderson, Bourbon, and Nelson counties in Kentucky, as well as in Prospect across Jefferson and Oldham counties, with 95 mph to 110 mph winds.
Many in the wind-battered states are waking up to the severe damage: homes stripped down to their metal bones, roofs ripped off buildings and power lines torn down.
This storm system, which started its deluge in the west over the weekend, has been making its way across the country.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 46-year-old homeless woman sheltering in a drainage pipe died, according to the Tulsa Fire Department. The woman’s boyfriend told officials that they had gone to sleep at the entrance of the pipe when they were startled awake by floodwaters Monday evening, The Associated Press reported.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had declared a state of emergency Tuesday because of the storms that started to hammer the state Monday and deployed Kentucky State Police and emergency managers to affected areas to assist locals in need.
Kentucky officials on Wednesday afternoon announced a weather-related fatality in Campbell County following a two-vehicle incident. The Campbell County Coroner did not release the name of the victim, but confirmed it was a 19-year-old male.
Over 20 counties have reported damage from the severe weather in the state.
In Nelson County, Kentucky fire officials shared photos of severe storm damage while responding to a gas leak: mangled metal and collapsed buildings.
Another likely tornado touched down in Conyers, Georgia, uprooting trees and damaging homes. The suspected tornado caused “some minor injuries associated with trees, tree down calls” and power outages, Meredith Barnum, deputy director of the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency, told NBC News.
Some 255,000 customers remain without power Wednesday morning with almost 106,000 without power in West Virginia, 87,000 out in Wisconsin and nearly 16,000 out in Kentucky, according to PowerOutage.us.
That number grew to over 330,000 as of 2:30 p.m. ET with over 105,000 out in Wisconsin and 94,000 out in West Virginia.
Tuesday’s large spring storm also left heavy snow in Wisconsin, with 9.5 inches in Pulcifer and 8.3 inches in La Crosse.
April storm hammers the East Coast
As the storm has moved east, 50 million people are under wind alerts, 46 million under flood watches and 11 million under winter alerts Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, severe storms are moving through parts of the Southeast and the Florida Panhandle, where a tornado watch is in effects for parts of southern Georgia, southern South Carolina and northern Florida through 1 p.m.
Storms are also possible from central Florida up through southern Maryland for the rest of Wednesday, with all hazards possible for metro areas such as Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Charleston, Raleigh and Richmond.
Flash flooding will be possible for a large area from the Ohio River Valley into the Northeast — with Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York under flood alerts.
An additional widespread 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall through Thursday, with risk for coastal flooding.
Meanwhile, around the Great Lakes, heavy snow and wind will continue Wednesday with blizzard warnings for parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Snow is also forecast for northern states from upstate New York up to Maine. By the time it ends, 20-30 inches of fresh snow could blanket the Michigan Upper Peninsula, and 12-24 inches across the high elevations of New England.
Both major metros of Chicago and Boston may see some snowflakes mix in with rain, but little to no accumulation is expected.
