Historic flood emergency ongoing in Kentucky leaves three dead–and that toll is expected to rise. Severe weather in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. A multiple-day flood threat across the US, plus, today’s alerts and the weekend forecast.
Historic flood emergency in Kentucky, multiple deaths
Kentucky is experiencing one of the worst flood emergencies in its history with three dead. The toll is expected to reach double digits, however, as responders continue to search.
Eastern Kentucky received an estimated 8 to 12 inches of rain overnight, flooding streets and leaving people stranded on their roofs. On Thursday, local authorities described the situation as “catastrophic.”
Hundreds of people have been left homeless, amid flash flooding, mudslides, and power outages, WLWT and the Associated Press reported.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. On Thursday morning, he described the situation as “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history.”
At least three people have been confirmed dead, while Gov. Beshear said “a number of people” are unaccounted for and he expects “double-digit deaths,” NBC News reported.
“We expect the loss of life, hundreds will lose their homes and this is going to be another event that will take not months, but years to recover from,” Beshear added.
NWS weather alerts for Thursday
Here are the latest weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) for Thursday across the Lower 48.
Flood warning: eastern Kentucky; western Virginia; northeastern Colorado; southwestern Arizona.
Flood watch: Arizona; southern and southeastern Utah; Colorado; New Mexico; southwestern Kansas; eastern Kentucky; central and southern West Virginia; western Virginia.
Flash flood warning: Pittsburgh-Pennsylvania area
Excessive heat warning: Central and eastern Washington; northern Idaho; western and north-central Oregon; northern California.
Heat advisory for portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the Tampa, Florida area.
Severe weather for mid-Atlantic and Northeast
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a Level 2 severe weather alert for northeastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, central and eastern New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Maine for Thursday. The biggest risk will be damaging winds, with a lower risk of tornado activity.
The NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the region.
The weekend forecast: Multiple-day flood threat across the US
Scattered thunderstorms will span the US for several days bringing heavy rain and a continuing threat of flooding over an expansive area that encompasses much of the Lower 48, particularly on Thursday and Friday.
Here is the current weekend forecast from the National Weather Service (NWS).
Thursday: Widespread flood threat, severe weather in Northeast
Scattered thunderstorms over much of the Lower 48 with the exception of the Northwest and the north-central US.
Expansive flood threat stretches from Arizona to West Virginia (see NWS alerts above), to include portions of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia.
Severe weather for parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast (see details above).
Friday: Scattered thunderstorms and expansive flooding threat
Thunderstorms will stretch over most of the lower half of the nation and into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Heavy rain with the potential of flooding will stretch from Arizona to West Virginia impacting those states as well as Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
No severe weather is currently in the forecast.
Saturday: Thunderstorms over southern latitudes, heavy rain with flood risk
Thunderstorms over the southern half of the US will bring heavy rain with the potential of flash flooding over several states including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois.
The northern half of the country will be mostly dry and no severe weather is currently in the forecast.
Sunday: Scattered thunderstorms
Scattered thunderstorms across the southern tier of the US, where heavy rain could lead to flash flooding. The northern regions will be mostly dry, and potential light precipitation over the upper Midwest in the central US over parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.
No severe weather is currently in the forecast.
