More severe storms and flash flooding continued for parts of the U.S. on Thursday after an intense line of storms whipped through multiple states with heavy rain and tornadoes, leaving extensive damage and killing at least one person.
A tornado was confirmed near St. Johns, Florida, on Thursday, and a tornado watch was in effect for parts of central Florida until 3 p.m. as intense thunderstorms rumbled across the state.
In addition to tornadoes, storms could also produce damaging wind gusts, flooding downpours and small hail.
Severe storms are possible Thursday for 30 million people in Central Florida and the Ohio Valley. Cities in the risk zone include Orlando, Florida; Cincinnati and Cleveland in Ohio; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Around 17 million people are under flood watches in a stretch from Indiana into Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, reaching into parts of northern Maine.
Excessive runoff is expected after the area is pounded with repeated rounds of showers and storms, which may lead to the flooding of some rivers, creeks, streams and urban areas.
The weather delayed the start of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, with the first round pushed back to 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Wednesday's storm impact
The severe weather comes after storms rumbled through the South earlier this week into Wednesday, triggering more than 150 damaging wind reports in the past 48 hours.
The intense line of storms had traveled a continuous distance of more than 650 miles from west of Houston to south of Tallahassee.
In Wednesday’s carnage, an EF-2 tornado hit Lake Charles, Louisiana, with 115-mph winds ripping off roofs and tearing down power lines, and another EF-2 twister touched down in Port Arthur, Texas, the National Weather Service said.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that there had been one weather-related death in his state, in Scott County, and an injury in Grenada County.
Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee attributed the death of 64-year-old Shirley Wilson to the storm, as her oxygen machine shut down when her home lost power. Her grandchild called 911, but emergency responders couldn’t reach her until about 20 minutes later and she was pronounced dead, The Associated Press reported.
Further, 72 homes were damaged or destroyed in Grenada, Hinds, Marshall, Scott, Warren and Yazoo counties in the state, Reeves said.
In New Orleans, streets turned into rivers in the intense rain. National Weather Service crews reported damage in Slidell and Saint Francisville consistent with at least an EF-1 tornado Wednesday, though an additional survey is needed.
Wednesday also saw flash flood emergencies.
In Kirbyville, Texas, 15 to 17 inches of rain in the area caused Pin Oak Creek to rise 10 feet in less than six hours, triggering a disaster declaration for Jasper County as the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said the city was “under water” Wednesday.
In New Orleans, 5.95 inches of rain fell in less than six hours and storm totals for Wednesday were a record 6.24 inches. Meanwhile, Tallahassee clocked 7 inches in eight hours. Both cities picked up more than their average monthly rainfall in mere hours.
Thursday night's forecast
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee already warned of a flash flood emergency early Thursday, saying: “Many impassable roads across the city and water entering homes. Please stay put and don’t drive through flooded roads!”
As of 4:30 p.m. ET, over 115,000 customers were without power across the country, with almost 58,000 out in Louisiana, over 25,000 in Mississippi, more than 15,000 in Georgia and more than 17,000 in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us.
Rounds of heavy rain and the occasional rumble of thunder will affect the Great Lakes, interior northeast and the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston from Thursday night into Friday.
Strong winds will also accompany the deluge, with peak wind gusts of 36 mph in Atlanta, 40 mph in Chicago, 43 mph in Detroit, 40 mph in Boston, and 39 mph in New York forecast through Friday.
