I'm not sure why we need a Winter Weather and a Non-winter Weather thread, but since it's not winter, and weather is an issue I'm starting this new thread. If the mods see fit to merge them into an all-encompassing Weather thread, I'm all for it.
7 Dead as Storm Soaks Central U.S., Raising Rivers and Flood Fears
Nearly 30 tornadoes were confirmed after the first wave of the storm, which will extend into the weekend. Mud smeared streets in Nashville, while Memphis and nearby towns eyed the rising Mississippi River.
Floodwaters covered highways from Arkansas to Ohio. Schools in waterlogged communities called off Friday classes. And river towns across the South and Midwest piled up sandbags ahead of a weekend when forecasters expect intense rain and major floods.
The preparations for heavy flooding intensified on Thursday following an outbreak of tornadoes and heavy winds overnight. The storm leveled homes and businesses and killed at least seven people in three states, including a fire chief in Missouri and a teenage girl in Tennessee.
Here’s what to know:
Prolonged threat: The storm system is stalled over a stretch of the country from Texas through the northeast, with the most intense rain falling around Arkansas and Tennessee. The rain is forecast to persist through Saturday, with totals of well over a foot. Here’s more on the forecast.
Tornado damage: More than 30 tornadoes were reported in Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana and Tennessee.
Preparing for floods: In New Madrid, Mo., along the Mississippi River, city officials celebrated the arrival of sandbag-filling machines from the Army Corps of Engineers. In Arkansas, participants in a Corrections Department work-release program helped fill sandbags in Saline County.
Exhausted sirens: In Nashville, the continued wailing of tornado sirens drained some of their batteries, causing them to stop working, the Nashville Fire Department said. In places where the power was out, the sirens did not recharge until electricity was restored, the department said.
Click on the link for more
