Flood warnings have been issued for at least 10 million people after torrential rain and winter storms wreaked havoc in the Southeast, killing at least nine.
Parts of Kentucky, where eight of the nine people died, and Tennessee received up to six inches of rain over the weekend, while the Northern Plains experienced life-threatening cold. Tornado watches were issued in parts of Florida and Georgia, where another person died.
The National Weather Service previously warned of storms moving across the eastern United States, predicting heavy snow in northern New York and northern New England until early Monday.
“Heavy rainfall will cause flash flooding in areas from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the central Appalachians through Sunday. Severe thunderstorms may bring damaging winds and tornadoes to parts of the Southeast United States this weekend,” the NWS stated on X.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Sunday that President Trump had approved his request for disaster relief funds. In a post on X, he mentioned the “historic impact” of the weather, which included mudslides and snow.
Later on Sunday, Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Kentucky in response to Beshear’s request. The president provided assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which he has previously stated that he intends to close.
FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide equipment and resources as needed to mitigate the effects of the emergency. The White House stated that “emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75% federal funding.”
The Trump administration fired 200 FEMA employees on Friday.
A mother and her seven-year-old child were killed in the state on Saturday night when their car was swept away by floodwaters in Hart County, according to a county official.
According to County Emergency Management Deputy Director Revelle Berry, a 73-year-old man was discovered dead in floodwaters in Clay County in southeastern Kentucky.
The Louisville Metro Police Department warned drivers on Facebook not to drive through flooded roadways. “Countywide, first responders have completed nearly 30 water rescues today, and counting. Turn around, do not drown,” the force advised.
Bob Oravec, a senior forecaster with the NWS, said the effects of the downpours would “continue for a while.”
“Any time there is flooding, the flooding can last a lot longer than the rain lasts,” according to his remarks on Sunday.
Severe storms also hit parts of Florida and Georgia. An “extremely large tree” fell on a home in Atlanta early Sunday, killing one person, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue Capt. Scott Powell.
Heavy snowfall was expected in parts of New England and northern New York, with wind gusts reaching 60 mph and causing “hazardous whiteout conditions,” according to the NWS.
Temperatures as low as the minus 30s are expected in the Northern Plains and along the Canadian border. The NWS also predicted dangerously cold wind chill temperatures in the Dakotas and Minnesota ranging from minus 40 to minus 50.