Maps: Days of severe weather hammer the U.S., historic flooding continues
Days and days of severe weather hammering the central United States have taken a toll. We’ve seen severe storms every day since March 29, with most of those days featuring an enhanced (level 3/5) risk for severe weather or higher.
Here are a few maps highlighting the wild weather we’ve seen over the past week and a half.
A powerful ridge of high pressure over the southeastern U.S. sent temperatures soaring into the upper 80s throughout the region. We peaked at 88°F here in Reidsville, N.C., on Friday afternoon.
A stationary boundary on the outer periphery of that ridge served as the focus for repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms and torrential rains.
Over the past 10 days, more than a foot of rain has fallen across a wide swath of land from central Arkansas through northern Kentucky.
A gauge near Benton, Kentucky, measured 15.59 inches of rain between 9:00 a.m. April 2 and 9:00 a.m. April 6. The airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, recorded just under a foot of rain over the same period.
This led to widespread major flooding across waterways throughout the region, with some flood gauges recording all-time high water levels.
Damaging winds, tornadoes, and large hail were also a major concern. We’ve seen more than 500 tornado warnings issued between March 29 and April 6, the vast majority of which unfolded across the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys.
It’s going to be a while before we know the tornado count or extent of damage across the region, but several EF-3+ tornadoes occurred—especially in Tennessee and northeastern Arkansas.
During that time period, the Storm Prediction Center received 1,987 reports of severe winds or wind damage, 391 reports of large hail, and 158 tornado reports. It’s worth keeping in mind that there weren’t 158 tornadoes—many tornado reports can come in for the same storm.
Here’s a graphic I created for The Weather Network on Saturday to highlight the persistent risk for severe weather over the past eight days:
Things will start to quiet down heading into next week as the stubborn pattern finally releases its grip and calmer conditions prevail across the eastern two-thirds of the country.
[Satellite image courtesy of NOAA.]
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