At least 16 dead as severe storms hit central-eastern US

Severe storms that have battered the east-central US in recent days have left at least 16 dead. Tennessee was the hardest-hit state, with 10 fatalities reported. Kentucky and Missouri each saw two deaths, while Indiana and Arkansas reported one each.

"Flooding has reached record levels in many communities, and a lot of our neighbors have been affected," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in recent hours. "Please move to high ground if you need to and never drive through water. We will get through this together."

Beshear also reported that a child had been "swept away by floodwaters" and that at least one more person, an adult in Nelson County, had died due to flooding.

The National Weather Service warned “NEVER drive around barricades into floodwaters! More than 50% of all flood fatalities are vehicle-related. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”

Blocked roads, overturned cars, toppled trees, power lines down, and homes reduced to rubble or submerged by swollen rivers were some of the grim scenes seen since mid-week, as tornadoes and severe rainfall battered areas from Arkansas to Ohio.

Early Sunday, over 100,000 customers in Arkansas and Tennessee were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Thousands of homes in Alabama and Mississippi also remained affected by outages.

Hundreds of flights were delayed and canceled.

The forecast for Sunday and the week ahead 

Throughout Sunday, showers will persist in southern areas, though the risk of flooding will decrease. The storm front will move eastward, with the heaviest rains expected from the Gulf Coast to the southern Appalachians, where showers and thunderstorms are forecasted throughout the day.

Severe thunderstorms could also develop in the Tennessee Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley, bringing the potential for tornadoes and damaging wind gusts.

"Fortunately, the risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding decreases significantly on Monday," the NWS reported. However, they cautioned that "Large temperature swings can be expected across the Continental U.S. the next few days."