Tornadoes, Storms Rip Through Midwest, South

Photo: NWS

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a dire warning on April 3 about “generational” flooding in the U.S. South and Midwest as powerful storms swept from Texas to Michigan, spawning tornadoes and claiming two lives.

At least 19 tornadoes touched down on April 2, leaving a trail of destruction that damaged homes and businesses, injured at least eight people, and cut power to hundreds of thousands. The NWS cautioned that this was only “the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event.”

Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi are bracing for a “generational flood event,” with some areas expected to receive up to 15 inches of rain by the weekend of April 5-6, potentially causing rivers to overflow. In response, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee declared states of emergency.

The NWS placed parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas under a high-risk alert for severe thunderstorms, warning of more tornadoes, hail, and life-threatening flooding in the coming days.