More severe storms and flash flooding continued for parts of the U.S. on Thursday after an intense line of storms whipped through multiple states with heavy rain and tornadoes, leaving extensive damage and killing at least one person.
A tornado was confirmed near St. Johns, Florida, on Thursday, and a tornado watch was in effect for parts of central Florida until 3 p.m. as intense thunderstorms rumbled across the state.
In addition to tornadoes, storms could also produce damaging wind gusts, flooding downpours and small hail.
Severe storms are possible Thursday for 30 million people in Central Florida and the Ohio Valley. Cities in the risk zone include Orlando, Florida; Cincinnati and Cleveland in Ohio; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Around 17 million people are under flood watches in a stretch from Indiana into Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, reaching into parts of northern Maine.
Excessive runoff is expected after the area is pounded with repeated rounds of showers and storms, which may lead to the flooding of some rivers, creeks, streams and urban areas.
The weather delayed the start of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, with the first round pushed back to 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Wednesday’s storm impact
The severe weather comes after storms rumbled through the South earlier this week into Wednesday, triggering more than 150 damaging wind reports in the past 48 hours.
The intense line of storms had traveled a continuous distance of more than 650 miles from west of Houston to south of Tallahassee.
In Wednesday’s carnage, an EF-2 tornado hit Lake Charles, Louisiana, with 115-mph winds ripping off roofs and tearing down power lines, and another EF-2 twister touched down in Port Arthur, Texas, the National Weather Service said.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that there had been one weather-related death in his state, in Scott County, and an injury in Grenada…
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