10 dead as significant severe weather, flash flooding impact parts of US
Relentless, life-threatening weather conditions continued Saturday across multiple states for the fourth straight day, including the threat of severe flooding in Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, and tornado watches from Texas to Kentucky.
Since Wednesday, at least 10 people have died amid the outbreak of severe weather, including a 9-year-old boy in Kentucky, who was swept away by floodwaters as he walked to a bus stop, and five people killed in southwestern Tennessee after a strong EF-3 tornado ripped through the city of Selmer.
Saturday will be the final day of a multi-day high impact flood event that has wreaked havoc across portions of the Lower and Mid-Mississippi River Valley, which remains under a high risk for flooding.
PHOTO: A water rescue takes place in flood waters in Bartholomew County, Indiana, on April 5, 2025. (Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department)
As of Saturday evening, Memphis, Tennessee, was under a flash flood emergency as the latest round of torrential rain continues to sweep east across parts of the mid-South Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service said it was a particularly dangerous situation and life-threatening flash flooding is either ongoing or will begin shortly. A flash flood emergency is the highest-level alert that the NWS issues for a flash flood threat.
PHOTO: Severe weather in the U.S. on April 5, 2025. (ABC News)
In Arkansas over the past few days, up to a foot of rain has fallen -- equal to about three months' worth of rain.
By Saturday evening, a flash flood emergency issued earlier for the Little Rock area was canceled and the worst of the heavy rain was over there. However, major flash flooding continues in the region.
PHOTO: In an aerial view, water covers roadways following extreme flooding that has caused significant damage throughout the area, on April 4, 2025, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. (Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Another flash flood emergency in northeastern Arkansas, including the towns of Cherokee Village and Hardy, was also canceled. Earlier Saturday, emergency management officials have relayed to the National Weather Service that multiple water rescues were ongoing in the area, which includes portions of Lawrence and Sharp counties.
PHOTO: Severe weather in the U.S. on April 5, 2025. (ABC News)
No deaths have been reported in Arkansas, but state emergency management officials said at least 10 people were reported injured in the severe weather. Preliminary damage reports include flooding on roadways, downed trees and power lines, water rescues and damage from a possible tornado near the city of Wynne. The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed the tornado.
Even though the threat for severe storms will gradually lessen over the weekend as the stationary front slowly pushes east, more unsettled weather will continue to erupt over the areas already hit hard by tornados and life-threatening flooding.
In addition to flooding threats, Saturday evening brings a risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. There are tornado watches posted across seven states, from Texas to Kentucky, with cities like Memphis, Little Rock, Nashville and Houston on guard.
PHOTO: Severe weather in the U.S. on April 5, 2025. (ABC News)
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Over the past 24 hours, there were more than a dozen tornadoes reported in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.
The worst of the severe thunderstorm, tornado, flash flood threat will be through the evening hours as a line of strong thunderstorms with torrential rain continues to sweep across parts of the South.
The greatest tornado threat was across parts of western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, including the Memphis metro area. From east Texas into western Tennessee, a couple strong tornadoes could also occur along with very large hail and destructive wind gusts.
The threat for severe weather and excessive rainfall will ease a bit on Sunday as this system begins to slide eastward. However, parts of the Tennessee and Ohio River Valley could see another 3 to 6 inches before this frontal boundary completely moves out of the region by Monday.
PHOTO: In this photo released by the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department, flooding is shown on April 5, 2025, in Bartholomew County in Indiana. (Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department)
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Parts of the Southeast are under a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather, where storms could generate damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes.
PHOTO: In this screen grab from a video, flooding is shown in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, on April 5, 2025. (Dawson Springs Police Department)
With that, thunderstorms generating heavy rainfall (with rates potentially reaching 2 to 3 inches per hour) could cause flash flooding in prone areas. A good portion of Georgia and Alabama, as well as parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana are under a slight risk for flooding.
-ABC News' Shawnie Caslin Martucci contributed to this report.
10 dead as significant severe weather, flash flooding tear through parts of US originally appeared on abcnews.go.com