US Faces 'Generational' Flood Threat As Tornadoes, Heavy Rains Kill Two

Tornadoes have hit areas in Tennessee, Mississippi and other states in the United States.

The National Weather Service warned of "generational" floods in the US South and Midwest as tornadoes swept the country from Texas to Michigan, killing two people, per Reuters.

Stay safe, Nashville! ⚠️ Tornado warnings in effect with intense lightning strikes over downtown. Hope everyone finds shelter and stays protected. #Nashville #TornadoWarning #Tennessee https://t.co/f57rj064q3 — Krishna Gopal Sharma (@KrishnaG_Sharma) April 3, 2025

About 15 million people are under tornado watches, from Ohio to Mississippi, and nearly 6 million people are under the watch including people from Nashville, Tennessee and Tupelo, Mississippi.

Strong thunderstorms will move across the watch area and could produce tornadoes with gusts up to 75 miles per hour and rise up to 1.5 inches in diameter.

⚠️Tornado Warning, USA

?️The aftermath of an EF3+ #tornado in Lake City, #ArkansasStormReport
?️The aftermath of a tornado in Selmer, Tennessee

⭕️"It's pointless to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.” ©Albert Einstein#TornadoWarning #science #ClimateCrisis https://t.co/J1WcqfuE1W pic.twitter.com/EVabHKGU1y — Irene (@irene_makarenko) April 3, 2025

A radio tower has toppled in Indiana, several vehicles have submerged in Indianapolis, homes have been damaged in Arkansas because of the storms and more than 200,000 customers are without power in these four states: Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi, according to CNN.

"A nocturnal wedge tornado looming just over your horizon has got to the most terrifying thing you can witness as a homeowner. Unfortunately, parts of Tennessee and Mississippi are experiencing that tonight.", says a post on X. 

Tornado watches are in effect for at least 17 million people in portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee.#Tornado #USA pic.twitter.com/WzdSFlyo95 — BuzzBrief (@WNongbri85599) April 3, 2025

A Climate Central study has found that since 1970, climate change has intensified hourly rainfall rates in 90% of US cities. Moreover, according to AccuWeather, up to four months worth of rain will fall in five days along a 1,000-mile-long swath from Texas to Ohio.

"People who have lived in a community their entire lives may see water rapidly rising and flooding areas they have never seen flood before," AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said, per USA Today. "Do not assume that if you have not seen flooding in an area before, that it will not occur this time."