Central, Southern U.S. Struck by Tornadoes, Heavy Rains
Severe weather, including tornadoes and heavy rainfall, has impacted central and southern regions of the United States.
TroibNews 
Tornadoes swept through a large area of central and southern United States on Wednesday, leaving devastation in their wake by destroying homes and businesses, as well as toppling power lines and trees.
The National Weather Service reported at least 15 tornado sightings across four states by late Wednesday.
Local officials reported that eight individuals were injured in Kentucky and Arkansas, including one person who was critically injured in Ballard County, Kentucky.
In response to the severe weather, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a state of emergency for the entire state due to the storms, which also brought hail and heavy rainfall.
According to the NWS, millions remained under tornado and flash flood alerts, with dangerous conditions expected to persist into early Thursday.
The NWS projected that violent storms would impact the region for several days, stating that Wednesday marked "the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event."
"The word for tonight is 'chaotic,'" remarked Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the NWS. "This is a large expanse of storms migrating slowly to the east, stretching from southeast Michigan down into southeastern Arkansas."
The town of Nevada, Missouri, experienced the brunt of a tornado. In a social media update, the state's Emergency Management Agency noted, "major damage to several businesses," along with snapped power poles and several train cars overturned by the powerful storm.
Tornado and flash flood warnings were issued by the NWS for regions in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
They categorized the rain threats for Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi in the upcoming days as a "generational flood event," predicting that some areas could receive up to 38.1 centimeters of rain by the weekend, potentially leading to overflowing rivers and "catastrophic river flooding."
Over 400,000 customers experienced power outages in the storm-affected regions, as reported by PowerOutage.us.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
The National Weather Service reported at least 15 tornado sightings across four states by late Wednesday.
Local officials reported that eight individuals were injured in Kentucky and Arkansas, including one person who was critically injured in Ballard County, Kentucky.
In response to the severe weather, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a state of emergency for the entire state due to the storms, which also brought hail and heavy rainfall.
According to the NWS, millions remained under tornado and flash flood alerts, with dangerous conditions expected to persist into early Thursday.
The NWS projected that violent storms would impact the region for several days, stating that Wednesday marked "the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event."
"The word for tonight is 'chaotic,'" remarked Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the NWS. "This is a large expanse of storms migrating slowly to the east, stretching from southeast Michigan down into southeastern Arkansas."
The town of Nevada, Missouri, experienced the brunt of a tornado. In a social media update, the state's Emergency Management Agency noted, "major damage to several businesses," along with snapped power poles and several train cars overturned by the powerful storm.
Tornado and flash flood warnings were issued by the NWS for regions in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
They categorized the rain threats for Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi in the upcoming days as a "generational flood event," predicting that some areas could receive up to 38.1 centimeters of rain by the weekend, potentially leading to overflowing rivers and "catastrophic river flooding."
Over 400,000 customers experienced power outages in the storm-affected regions, as reported by PowerOutage.us.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
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