Millions of people across the United States, from Texas to Michigan, are expected to face heavy rain, high winds, hail, flooding, and other dangerous weather as a major storm system moves in on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service warned in guidance issued Wednesday that the “multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic” event will result in a “barrage of life-threatening” conditions, including powerful tornadoes and widespread flash flooding.
An NWS map shows Memphis and Little Rock as having a high and moderate risk of severe weather, respectively, while other cities such as St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Louisville are also expected to experience inclement weather.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm on Wednesday, citing “some of the most serious weather threats I have seen.”
The mayor of Little Rock, Ark., announced on social media that the city had cancelled the weekly test of its emergency warning sirens, informing residents that any sirens heard on Wednesday would indicate an imminent tornado.
According to the NWS, the most tornado-prone areas on Wednesday are northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, southern Illinois, and southeastern Missouri. Some tornadoes may even reach the EF3 category, which is defined by estimated wind gusts ranging from 136 to 165 mph.
Outside of that high-risk region, other parts of those states, as well as portions of Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, and Texas, may experience less severe tornadoes, wind gusts, and hail.
NWS forecasters also predict severe thunderstorms in the Great Lakes region, Appalachia, and Texas.
Some areas in that region could receive historic rainfall totals of up to 15 inches over the weekend. The storm front will stall over the area on Thursday, potentially dropping six inches of rain over two days.
Repeated bouts of rain could saturate the soil and exacerbate flooding, forecasters warned. “This is not routine,” the NWS Memphis office warned about the upcoming flooding. “This is a rare, high-impact, and potentially devastating event.”
The expected rainfall and flooding may cause “long duration and severe disruptions to daily life” for those in the storm’s path, according to the NWS.
