US South, Midwest face 'generational' flood threat after severe storms, two dead
By Brad Brooks
April 3 (Reuters) - The National Weather Service warned on Thursday of "generational" floods in the U.S. South and Midwest as storms ripped across a swath of the country from Texas to Michigan, whipping up tornadoes and killing two people.
At least 19 tornadoes struck on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses, injuring at least eight people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands.
That was just "the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event", the NWS said.
Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi faced the threat of a "generational flood event" with some locations forecast to see as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of rain by the weekend, which could cause rivers to burst their banks.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported two weather-related deaths in McNairy and Obion counties. Four people were injured in Craighead County in Arkansas and four others, including one critically, were injured when a church was hit in Ballard County, Kentucky, according to local officials.
Railroad company BNSF said it had received a report of a freight train derailment near the storm-hit city of Bay in Arkansas, without specifying the cause.
Late Wednesday, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee declared a state of emergency.
The National Weather Service said parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Texas were under a high risk of severe thunderstorms on Thursday, warning of more tornadoes, hail and life-threatening flooding.
"The word for tonight is 'chaotic,'" Scott Kleebauer, a NWS meteorologist, said on Wednesday. "This is a large expanse of storms migrating slowly to the east, stretching from southeast Michigan down into southeastern Arkansas."
Missouri's Emergency Management Agency said a tornado that hit the town of Nevada, Missouri had caused "major damage to several businesses, power poles were snapped and several (empty) train cars were flipped onto their sides..."
More than 400,000 customers had their power knocked out across the storm-hit area, according to PowerOutage.us.
Related Articles
Earnings Season Starts Under Heavily Clouded Skies
TradingKey - While the S&P 500 Financials sector is expected to increase earnings modestly, 2.3% year over year, by FactSet's estimate, there is huge dispersion in the background.
Will the Federal Reserve Inject Liquidity Into the Market?
TradingKey - In recent days, consecutive selloffs in stocks and Treasuries have sent one unmistakable message: investors are afraid. The S&P 500 experienced two of its worst back-to-back days of trading since the financial crisis.
What Are Basis Trades That Triggered the Bond Sell-off Storm? Is a U.S. Liquidity Crisis Imminent?
TradingKey - Just ahead of the implementation of President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy, the U.S. witnessed a simultaneous selloff in both risk assets and traditionally safe-haven Treasuries. A key driver is the widespread use of highly leveraged "basis trades" by hedge funds.
Is a Crisis of Confidence in the Dollar Coming?
TradingKey - The U.S. dollar index has dropped by approximately 6% YTD, closing at 102. However, analysts on Wall Street are still bearish on the dollar, largely in light of uncertainty of President Trump's tariff policies.
[Reuters Breakingviews] Trump kicks all of Asia into the China tariff boat
HONG KONG, April 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Donald Trump’s second trade war is a battle of one against all. Reciprocal tariffs announced on Wednesday by the White House hit China with a hike of 34 percentage points, taking the fresh levies on exports from the People’s Republic up 5...