A storm bringing torrential rain, dozens of tornadoes and dangerous flooding has swept across the central United States for days, and is expected to continue battering the region on Saturday, forecasters say.

Officials are preparing for rain, high winds, hail and potential flash flooding from East Texas and Louisiana up through the Ohio Valley to southwestern Pennsylvania, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

The storm has already wreaked havoc across those regions, killing at least eight people, including a 9-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters in Frankfort, Ky. The heaviest rain so far, which has caused dangerous flooding, mostly fell in Arkansas and southern Missouri. Recovery efforts have been stunted in some areas by the weather, which may taper off through Sunday.

On Saturday, western Tennessee, southeastern Arkansas, western Mississippi and Louisiana will face severe risk from the storm.

“Folks are going to have the potential for really all modes of severe weather, from tornadoes to damaging straight-line winds, up to large hail,” said Scott Unger, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Nashville. At times, the hail could be as large as golf balls, he said, with severe weather potentially lasting well into Saturday night.

The National Weather Service also warned of life-threatening flash flooding across the region and urged people to turn around if they came across washed-out roads, adding that most flood deaths occurred in vehicles.

Precipitation intensity

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Iowa State University.  Note: All times are Central. By William B. Davis

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