After a strong line of storms ripped through numerous states with heavy rain and tornadoes, damaging property and killing at least one person, more severe storms and flash flooding will follow on Thursday.
First round of Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, postponed until 10:30 a.m. Thursday due to weather. With 1 to 2 inches of rain anticipated Thursday, and larger amounts locally, 7 million people in the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, Ohio Valley, and sections of New England are under flood watches.
Today, 28 million people in South Carolina, central Florida, the Ohio Valley, and the Appalachians could experience severe storms.
Both regions are at danger for damaging winds, with a larger tornado risk in the north this afternoon and in Tampa, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.
More than 150 damaging wind reports were made in the past 48 hours after storms hit the South earlier this week into Wednesday. A line of strong storms stretched over 650 miles from west of Houston to south of Tallahassee.
The National Weather Service said that an EF-2 tornado slammed Lake Charles, Louisiana, with 115-mph winds ripping off roofs and electrical lines, while another hit Port Arthur, Texas. On Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves reported one weather-related death in Scott County and one injury in Grenada County.
Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee said Shirley Wilson, 64, died because her oxygen machine stopped down after her home lost electricity to the storm. Her grandchild called 911, but emergency responders couldn't reach her for 20 minutes and she was pronounced dead, The Associated Press reported.
Reeves said 72 residences in Grenada, Hinds, Marshall, Scott, Warren, and Yazoo counties were damaged or destroyed. Pin Oak Creek rose 10 feet in less than six hours in Kirbyville, Texas, after 15 to 17 inches of rain. The Jasper County Sheriff's Office declared a disaster because the city was “under water” Wednesday.
Two cities received more than their monthly rainfall in hours. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee warned of a flash flood emergency early Thursday: “Many impassable roads across the city and water entering homes. Stay put and avoid flooded roads!"
From Thursday night to Friday, the Great Lakes, interior northeast, and I-95 corridor from D.C. to Boston may experience severe rain and thunder. Wind gusts of 36 mph in Atlanta, 40 mph in Chicago, 43 mph in Detroit, 40 mph in Boston, and 39 mph in New York are anticipated through Friday to accompany the rain.
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