Published: July 14,2015
Power outages climbed to 331,000 customers across the Ohio Valley and South Tuesday night, as a severe weather outbreak plaguing the eastern U.S. stretched into a third day.
Search and rescue missions were underway for six people missing in flash flooding triggered by heavy storms in Johnson County, Kentucky, where at least two people have died and 150 homes have been damaged or destroyed, authorities said. The situation prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency; at least six counties in West Virginia were also operating under an emergency declaration.
A flooded power station in Johnson County, Kentucky, is considered a total loss.(Big Sandy RECC)
With at least 477 reports of severe weather, Monday was the most active severe weather day in the U.S. since Nov. 17, 2013, when a deadly tornado outbreak struck Illinois and Indiana, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.
You can get the full forecast at the weather.com severe tracker.
Here are the latest impacts, by state:
Arkansas
An 81-mph wind gust was measured in Brookland, Arkansas at just over 3:00 PM CT, according to a report from the National Weather Service.Kansas
Investigators with the National Weather Service said the tornado that touched down in south-central Kansas Monday night was an EF3 twister. At least two houses were damaged, but no one was hurt.Reno County emergency specialist Evan Seiwert said the tornado was reported three miles southeast of Nickerson on Monday evening. Todd Strain with Reno County Emergency Management says power lines were also down.
Reno County-Hutchinson Law Enforcement told The Hutchinson News that one home may be a total loss, and another sustained damage to a roof and garage. Authorities also said two roads were closed in Reno County because of tornado damage.
Strain said sections of Reno County received up to 3 inches of rain. The National Weather Service canceled a flood warning for Reno County on Tuesday morning after flood waters began receding.
Kentucky
At least two people are dead and six others are unaccounted for after heavy rains caused flooding in eastern Kentucky. Johnson County coroner J.R. Frisby told the Lexington Herald-Leader a man died Monday after getting out of his vehicle and trying to walk through floodwaters, while a woman in her 70s was found along a creek near Kentucky Route 172.Four injuries were reported in Flemingsburg after high winds moved a mobile home 60 feet, causing it to hit a barn with four people inside.
A flash flood warning for Central Magoffin County remains in effect until 11:00 p.m..
A flash flood emergency was declared for Dwarf, after flash flooding was reported across the area. Between one and two inches of rain were reported to have fallen, and an additional inch of rain is possible, according to the National Weather Service.
As of 8:00 p.m., theree were reports of flash flooding and ongoing water rescues across east Salyersville.
An estimated 36,827 customers are without power.
Flooding in northeastern Kentucky.(Wm. Wade Smith/Instagram)
Kentucky State Police Trooper Stephen Mounts said emergency personnel searching for the missing in the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Johnson County were struggling with debris, downed power lines and difficult communication as they search for those who might be trapped in their homes.
The missing range in age from 22 to 74.
The Red Cross set up shelters in Johnson and Rowan counties, which were thought to have gotten the worst of Monday’s flooding, Buddy Rogers, spokesman for the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, told the Herald-Leader.
Buddy Rogers, spokesman for Kentucky Emergency Management, said the ground is thoroughly saturated from the overnight rains and heavy storms from the last several weeks. More rain is expected this afternoon, and the water will have nowhere to go but into roads, yards and homes, he suspects.
Many of the same areas are likely to be underwater again. The water-logged ground also threatens to topple more power lines, trees and utility poles in high winds.
"Any more rain at all is going to be detrimental, it will hurt us," said Bobby Moore, a Johnson County 911 dispatcher. Moore said the flood washed away a number of rural roads and left others clogged with fallen trees and debris, forcing rescuers to turn to all-terrain vehicles to reach homes and search for residents.
Indiana
Strong thunderstorms caused road flooding and power outage across central and southern Indiana and forced extensive cleanup work at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just 10 days ahead of events for NASCAR's Brickyard 400.Crews were searching Tuesday for a 37-year-old man who was swept away by floodwaters while trying to cross a small creek in Brown County to check on his grandmother's home.
The southern Indiana town of Roanoke experienced significant flash flooding overnight Monday. Officials said the entire downtown area, including about 30 homes, is flooded.
The National Weather Service in Indianapolis said early Tuesday that they will survey areas around Lafayette to confirm a possible tornado in that area. Meteorologist Mike Koch says there was wind rotation in the storms around Lafayette.
The storms hit the Indianapolis metro midday, taking out large trees and power. About 35,000 Indianapolis Power and Light customers had lost electricity; other utilities across the state were also reporting outages, totalling about 55,000 in Indiana alone.
The Boone County Sheriff's Department said a tree fell on an occupied vehicle in Zionsville, but the woman inside was able to escape without serious injuries.
Indiana State Police advised motorists to avoid Interstate 65 in Jackson County because water was moving across the roadway. Boone County officials also reported flooded roads and roads blocked by trees.
Illinois
On Monday, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the Chicago area until 11 p.m. CDT. The watch covers 18 counties in Illinois and five counties in Northwest Indiana. Golfball-sized hail was reported in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, at around 9 p.m. local time.Earlier in the day, storms caused departure delays of up to 90 minutes at Chicago's Midway and O'Hare International airports.
The mayor of Quincy, Illinois, declared a state of emergency after the city was hit by a strong thunderstorm, which blocked its main streets with fallen trees and live wires. A powerful thunderstorm with winds as high as 70 mph tore through the Quincy area Monday night, damaging homes and knocking out power to tens of thousands in Adams County.
(MORE: What Is a Derecho?)
Minnesota
The National Weather Service reported several possible tornadoes in western Minnesota Sunday night. High winds slammed Brainerd around 8 p.m. CDT, bringing down large trees and causing damage to at least one home. There was also damage to the Brainerd International Raceway. No one was hurt.
New York
Flooding caused by severe thunderstorms has shut down eastbound traffic on New York's Thruway in the state's southwestern corner.The state police Thruway detail says Interstate 90's eastbound lanes are closed Tuesday morning at Exit 61 in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley, on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles southwest of Buffalo. Troopers say stretches of one of the Thruway's two westbound lanes are closed in some areas between Exit 61 and Exit 59 at Dunkirk.
Police say a few vehicles got stranded on the flooded highway but no serious injuries are reported. There's no immediate estimate on when the eastbound lanes will reopen.
Ohio
At least 70,000 customers across the state had lost power by Tuesday afternoon.Jackson County 911 reported that evacuation were taking place Tuesday morning in Jackson because of flooding.
In Centerville, several roads were washed out.
Fans attending the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati on Tuesday night will need to keep an umbrella or poncho handy. Thunderstorms remain in the forecast.
Tennessee
A tornado was reported on the ground around 4:00 PM ET near North Drive in Double Springs, west of Cookeville, Tennessee. The National Weather Service says there already have been reports of structural damage to barns and homes.
As many as 36,000 customers were in the dark by evening.
Virginia
Severe thunderstorms have left more than 10,000 Appalachian Power customers in southwest Virginia without electricity. The hardest hit areas are Russell, Tazewell, Washington and Wythe counties, with more than 1,000 outages each as of 6:15 a.m. Tuesday.West Virginia
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin placed at least nine counties under a state of emergency Tuesday, allowing state and local leaders to better coordinate response efforts to rockslides, mudslides and property damage across the state.Heavy rain flooded 70 to 80 homes in Mineral Wells, southeast of Parkersburg. The National Weather Service reported water was up past car windows and people were rescued by boat from the Lincolnshire Apartments. There was also flooding reported in Richwood and the West Virginia State Fairgrounds.
More than 24,000 Appalachian Power customers in southern West Virginia are without electricity.
Wisconsin
Damaging winds accompanied the squall line through western, central and southern Wisconsin, mainly during the pre-dawn hours Monday. A 74-mph wind gust was measured in Belleville shortly after 4 a.m. local time.Trees were blown down, snapped or even uprooted across many areas. More than 30,000 We Energies customers were without power at one point in Wisconsin on Monday morning.
MORE: Severe Weather Outbreak
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