The forecasters warn against deadly floods, strong tornadoes in the Midwest and the South

By Jeff Martin, Associated Press

While serious thunderstorms threatened to strike parts of the midwest and southern Wednesday, the forecasters warned against potentially deadly sudden floods, strong tornadoes and a hail of baseball size.

According to the National Weather Service, at least one tornado was observed Tuesday evening around Salina, Kansas, about 90 miles north of Wichita.

The powerful storm system was to cause the threat of “significant and potentially fatal floods” from Wednesday, according to the Weather Prediction Center, part of the meteorological service.

The new threat of the floods occurred while residents of certain parts of Michigan continued to dig an ice storm on weekends.

Floods could flood cities, sweep the cars

Thunderstorms with several heavy rain cycles were provided in certain parts of Texas, the Mississippi Valley and the Ohio valley starting in the middle of the week and Saturday. Forecastists warned that storms could follow the same areas on several occasions and produce heavy rain and sudden dangerous floods capable of sweeping away cars.

Some parts of Arkansas, west of Tennessee, western Kentucky and South Indiana were at a particularly high risk of floods, the weather service said.

The rain totaling up to 15 inches was planned over the next seven days in northeast Arkansas, the southeast corner of Missouri, western Kentucky and the southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, warned the meteorological service.

The tornadoes observed and more could come

At least one tornado was observed Tuesday evening in Kansas, according to the meteorological service.

“Get covered now!” The Meteorological Service Office in Wichita warned residents about the social platform X.

During the night, storms could turn the tornadoes in Oklahoma as well as more in Kansas, the forecasters said.

There could also be a very large hail as well as serious gusts of wind. The most risk area of ​​a strong tornado included Oklahoma City; Tulsa, oklahoma; and Wichita, Kansas. The risk of significant hail spread from Fort Worth, Texas, Kansas City.

43 million people at risk of violent time

A large part of the northeast nation of Texas in Michigan was to see the potential of strong winds and tornadoes on Wednesday. The highest risk area of ​​violent time is at home 43 million people and many cities among the largest in the country, including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee.

Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, Tennessee, were also at risk of violent storms on Wednesday.

Precipitation could be a unique event

“We are potentially considering about two months of rain in a few days,” Thomas Jones, meteorologist of the weather service in Little Rock, Arkansas on Monday.

The precipitation that the east and northeast of Arkansas could see is something expected only once every 25 to 50 years.

The abundant quantity of rain in forecasts was rare, said Jones, and the humidity of the Gulf stimulated the amount of precipitation that thunderstorms could release.

Merthy Mix blows upper midwest

In Michigan, the crews attempted to restore power on Tuesday after an ice storm on weekends overturned trees and power posts. More than 144,000 customers were without electricity in Michigan on Tuesday evening, closer to 15,000 in Wisconsin, according to Poweroutage.us, which follows national breakdowns.

In the Michigan Mitten -shaped Lower Peninsula, the schools of several counties closed for a second day on Tuesday. Sheriff deputies used chain saws to clean the roads. The drivers waited in the online service stations that extended for the blocks.

More winter precipitation was on the way: a mixture of sips and freezing rain could keep the roads treacherous in the parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, the meteorological service said.

Heavy and humid snow was scheduled for Wednesday in oriental Dakotas and in certain parts of Minnesota.

The writers of the associated press Isabella O’malley in Philadelphia; Ed White in Detroit; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; And Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

Originally published: April 2, 2025 at 6:10 a.m.