Millions suffer from strong tornadoes and ‘catastrophic’ flooding, death toll rises

The National Weather Service (NWS) recorded at least 20 tornadoes in the central and southern parts of the country in recent hours. This severe weather will be accompanied by possible "deadly, catastrophic and potentially historic" flooding in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

From Arkansas to Indiana, forecasters warned that, for the second day in a row, "some strong tornadoes" could form and "large" hail could fall. More than 13 million people were in tornado warning areas in recent hours.

Wednesday left images of multiple tornadoes advancing on plains, homes and businesses. This Thursday saw a repeat of the disasters.

At least seven deaths have been linked to the storms. Missouri authorities reported that one person died Wednesday in the southeastern part of the state, local media reported. In Tennessee, at least five deaths were reported in several counties, including McNairy, Obion and Fayette. In Indiana, authorities reported that a man died after touching a downed power line.

In several states, governors have issued emergency declarations.

In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders put the focus of her emergency declaration on damage to power infrastructure:

More than 260,000 homes and businesses were without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. The states with the most outages were Michigan (111,680); Indiana (61,626); Ohio (30,673); Kentucky (14,608); and Texas (13,272).

Major flooding has hit parts of several states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Illinois. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Thursday that at least 25 roads were blocked by flooding.

In Nashville, emergency water rescues were continuing, according to the city's fire department.

Also hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled Thursday at major airports in the central United States, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

"Potentially historic" rainfall, "catastrophic" flooding

"Attention is rightly focused on tonight's severe weather, but in its wake will also be very severe flash flooding," the NWS maintained. "If your area is experiencing flooding, it is best to stay [still], but if you must be on the road, drive with caution and NEVER drive through floodwaters," it advised.

Their delegation in Memphis, Tennessee even referred to "possible flooding unheard of for generations." "This is not routine. This is a rare, high-impact, potentially devastating event," NWS prompted, detailing that more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could be recorded in some areas.

The risk of "potentially historic rainfall" will remain in effect until Sunday. Some areas could accumulate more than 15 inches (38 centimeters) of water. Rainfall that, if the worst forecast is met, will result in "catastrophic" flash floods and river overflows.

"Severe and long-lasting disruptions to communities are possible," the NWS Storm Prediction Center added. "Be prepared for significant impacts and plan for multiple ways to receive life-saving advisories/warnings if hazardous weather conditions are forecast."