A deadly storm system that pummeled portions of the central U.S. with heavy rain and tornadoes is expected to sweep across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on April 21, bringing a barrage of severe weather threats.
“The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a minimal threat of tornadoes,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
Over the weekend, storms broke out across the southern and Midwest United States, killing at least three people in Oklahoma, including a 12-year-old boy, and triggering flash floods that shut down major thoroughfares. More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.
Flash flood warnings and advisories were active across the central United States, from Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky to Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
As the storms progress to the east, they’re expected to weaken, but they could still produce flooding and tornadoes, especially in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, forecasters warned. On April 22, the storms will move into the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing “wind gusts, hail, and a minimal threat of tornadoes.”
Rounds of storms will soak central US this week
Rounds of heavy rain will soak a large swath of the Plains region through the week, bringing a renewed threat of flooding to areas already inundated and some relief to drought-stricken areas.
A Weather Prediction Center forecast map shows heavy rain is expected throughout the central and eastern U.S. this week.
In addition to the heavy rainfall, the storms are expected to produce “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 said in an online forecast.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tornadoes, flooding rains in forecast for central and eastern US