Deadly storms pummel Midwest and South
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Computer model simulation of water vapor and winds over the Southeast, Jan. 11. Credit: Earth Simulator
At least 11 people have died in severe storms that brought tornadoes, high winds and rain through parts of the South and Midwest, AP reports.
Where it stands: Severe thunderstorms were still possible over Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi through Sunday morning, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Sporadic damaging gusts" and tornadoes were possible for far eastern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas Saturday night, the National Weather Service said.
- Parts of southwest Indiana and western Kentucky were under a flash flood watch until Saturday evening. Several South Dakota rivers are under a flood warning.
- Temperatures above 70°F are also forecast across most of the Southeast on Saturday, per NOAA — possibly aiding thunderstorm development.
- Potential for heavy storm conditions has continued through the Southeast, per NOAA.
In Louisiana: Bossier Parish sheriff’s Lt. Bill Davis told KSLA the bodies of a couple were found by their destroyed mobile home near Haughton Saturday morning after a storm swept through the previous night.
- An elderly man died when an "uprooted tree fell on his home" in Caddo Parish, local authorities told the news outlet.
- Roughly 22,919 people are without power in Louisiana, per poweroutage.us as of 4:17 pm ET.
In Texas: A police officer and a firefighter were killed and another firefighter was critically wounded in Lubbock Saturday morning after a vehicle hit them as they responded to a traffic accident amid icy conditions, police confirmed.
- A man died in Nacogdoches County when a tree fell on his house Saturday, according to County Judge Greg Sowell.
- Severe thunderstorms were cited in the death of a person whose car "flipped into a creek" in Dallas on Friday night, AP reports.
- Over 11,000 people were without power in the state just after 4 pm ET., per poweroutage.us.
In Alabama, the Birmingham National Weather Service said three deaths were confirmed following a tornado touching down in Pickens County.
- Over 137,000 people were without power in the state at just before 4:30 pm ET, per poweroutage.us. Just before 11 pm ET, that figure had dropped to just under 53,000.
In Oklahoma: A man drowned in floodwaters near Kiowa, Oklahoma Highway Patrol said, per AP.
In Arkansas: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he declared a state of emergency "to assist the crews working to restore power around the state."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the storms and the rising death toll.
