A day after parts of the Midwest and the South were bombarded with severe thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes, another round of storms — and life-threatening flash flooding — has been forecast for the region.
At least seven people were killed — four in Michigan, two in Indiana and one in Oklahoma — after a severe winter storm brought heavy rain, strong winds and tornadoes to Landry Parish, Louisiana and Maury County, Tennessee, on Monday.
On Tuesday, 11 million people from central Texas to southern Iowa are at risk of receiving very large hail and a couple of strong tornadoes. The risk area includes Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; and San Angelo, Texas.
The severe weather on Wednesday will include flash flooding, strong tornadoes, and hail two inches in diameter, putting 70 million people at risk from central Michigan to northern Texas, including Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Shreveport, Louisiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Louisville, Kentucky.
This multi-day flash flood event is likely to last through Sunday. Around 22 million people are already under Flood Watches stretching from the Ark-La-Tex (where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas join together) to central Ohio.
Life-threatening and destructive urban flash flooding and river flooding are likely, with some cities expected to get double their average April rainfall in just a matter of days, including Little Rock and Louisville. Any communities near any rivers or streams will be particularly vulnerable to flooding.
According to PowerOutage.US, over 300,000 utility customers were still without power across the Midwest as of Tuesday morning, including almost 198,000 in Michigan, 33,000 in Wisconsin, and 21,000 in Indiana.
The National Weather Service says moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in the West, especially along the coast of northern California. “Heavy higher elevation snow” will also persist as an upper-level trough remains in the region.
The City of South Lake Tahoe said it expects snow showers to continue on Tuesday, and residents should expect 3 to 5 inches of possible snow.
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