Flooding threat lingers in Kentucky after deadly weekend rainfall as life-threatening cold air moves into the Central US
A deadly coast-to-coast winter storm, that swept across the United States this weekend continues to threaten parts of the South, Midwest and Northeast with more flooding, as life-threatening cold air moves into the Central US.
The weekend weather system, which flooded parts of California late last week, brought dangerous conditions to several states Saturday night into Sunday morning, including Kentucky, where at least nine died as frigid flood waters reached historic highs in some areas, officials in the state have said. Another person died in Georgia, an official there said.
Although the storm has moved further East, severe weather will “continue for several more days,” said Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson on Sunday. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also warned of continued flooding, including riverbank flooding, in coming days.
“We’re going to be experiencing widespread flooding for at least another 24 hours, if not more,” Beshear told CNN on Sunday afternoon.
On Friday, Beshear declared a state of emergency for Kentucky ahead of the storm and on Sunday thanked President Donald Trump for approving a federal disaster declaration, making federal aid funding available to impacted areas, including search and rescue operations which will also persist throughout the commonwealth, Beshear noted.
“We are in an emergency search and rescue mode,” Beshear told CNN Sunday. “We will be throughout the rest of today and probably through at least tomorrow.”
Rainfall totals reached staggering levels in the state, with Middletown – a suburb of Louisville – recording 8.45 inches. Saturday alone broke daily rainfall records in multiple locations, including Bowling Green – some 120 miles south of Louisville – with 4.23 inches, shattering the previous record of 1.74 inches set in 1995.
Emergency crews with the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State Police performed over 1,000 rescues in under 24 hours, Beshear said Sunday. First responders were also be going “door-to-door” in flooded areas to make sure everyone is accounted for, the governor added.
“From mudslides in the east to snow in the west, the situation is dangerous. Please plan ahead, avoid travel and stay safe, Kentucky,” Beshear said in a social media post Sunday morning.
Flood waters mix with snow
In Virginia, flash flood emergencies were issued in three counties – Tazewell, Mercer and Summers – where swift water rescues were underway Saturday. In some areas, high waters have mixed with snow and ice, according to the National Weather Service.
“The frigid water temperatures … can result in rapid hypothermia for anyone caught in the flooding,” the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia, warned.
In Indiana, drone images show homes and roads submerged in flood waters amid snowy weather on Sunday. “It floods down here every year but it’s been awhile since it has been this bad,” said Hardinsburg resident Shelby Sandlin, in a Facebook post.
Similar conditions may arise as the threat of flooding remains in the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and parts of the Appalachians, according to the weather service, while further East, heavy snow is expected in New England and the Great Lakes into Monday, the weather service said.
Across the country, millions are under a winter storm warning and a high wind warning is in place through Monday afternoon for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast where wind gusts could peak as high as 60 mph.
The storm led to widespread power outages, leaving more than 500,000 customers without electricity as of late Sunday across the Eastern US, according to Poweroutage.us.
Life threatening temperatures on the horizon
Meanwhile, life-threatening cold will grip the Central US this week, bringing potentially record-breaking lows and dangerous wind chills from the Northern Plains to the Gulf Coast.
In the Kansas City area, temperatures will remain below freezing all week, and cities like Dallas and Houston will see double-digit temperature drops from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Gusty winds may drive wind chills as low as 60 degrees below zero in the Northern Plains and below freezing across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Sub-zero wind chills could impact Kentucky as it is recovering from the weekend flooding.
And a winter storm forming over the Rockies is projected to dump 4 to 10 inches of snow from Kansas to Kentucky, with some areas seeing even higher totals. South of the snow zone, ice is forecast for cities like Oklahoma City and Little Rock. The storm will then move into the Mid-Atlantic, including areas battered by recent storms.
Overall, more than 30 million people from Montana to Texas are under cold alerts across the country.
Death toll expected to rise
In Kentucky, water levels reached historic highs two years after catastrophic flooding left 43 people dead and devastated parts of the state. Beshear on Sunday called the impact to the state “massive” and cited “hundreds of water rescues” and “multiple fatalities.” The deaths include at least one child, he said.
A 73-year-old resident of Manchester, Kentucky, died in the Horse Creek area after being swept away by floodwaters Saturday night, officials said. The man was driving on Kentucky Highway 8, according to the Clay County Coroner’s Office. He was carried away by the heavy currents after leaving the vehicle, the coroner’s office told CNN.
Two more people were confirmed dead in Kentucky after a vehicle was swept away amid flash flooding around 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Hart County, according to a National Weather Service report.
And in Georgia, one person died in the Grove Park area of Atlanta overnight when a large tree fell on a home amid “tremendous thunderstorm activity” in the area, Atlanta Fire Capt. Scott Powell said Sunday. Fire officials found the person trapped inside the house upon arrival around 5 a.m., he said. But the person ultimately passed away, Powell added.
Source: cnn.com
