April 3, 2025 - Tornadoes devastate central US

Our live coverage of the storms slamming the central US has ended. Get the latest here.

Jonathon Gerke speaks with CNN affiliate KOMU from outside his childhood home in Pilot Grove, Missouri, on Thursday.

A central Missouri man is among those digging through debris to find his belongings after a tornado heavily damaged his childhood home, CNN affiliate KOMU reported.

Jonathon Gerke said he rushed to his Pilot Grove home on Wednesday after seeing a tornado warning for the area while at work.

When he arrived, he found that while his father, dog and cat were safe, the EF2 twister had torn the roof off their home, damaged multiple cars and ripped the garage away.

As Gerke began digging through the debris, he realized some things may be permanently lost.

Classes and activities are cancelled Friday at Union University in western Tennessee after a major roof leak at the Penick Academic Complex, the school said Thursday night.

The building was evacuated and all students and personnel were safe, spokesperson Tim Ellsworth said.

Union University is in Jackson, about 40 miles north of Selmer, Tennessee, in a region slammed by severe storms Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Preliminary data shows a tornado that hit Selmer was rated at least an EF3, with winds speeds of up to 160 mph.

Gov. Bill Lee speaks about the storm damage during a news conference on Thursday.

As storms continue across the US, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee warned residents in the state to be prepared for potential tornado warnings and flash flooding for the next couple days, saying “Don’t let your guard down.”

“There’s been a lot of damage, there’s been a lot of tornadoes, there’s been loss of life and real devastation across the state, but this storm is going to continue,” he said, adding that people should pay attention to alerts and warnings from their local municipalities.

The state has reported at least five deaths, and around 7,500 people were without power as of 4:00 p.m. local time, said Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

A family in Ballard County, Kentucky, was injured by flying debris as tornadoes touched down in a number of places across the state overnight, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

“One injury to that family was more significant than the others,” the governor said.

A mom, dad, daughter and son were sheltering under a church carport when an EF2 tornado hit, said Travis Holder, director of Ballard County Emergency Management. The 8-year-old son is in critical condition at an out-of-state hospital, he added.

Ballard County is about 40 miles west of Paducah.

The airport in McCracken County, just outside Paducah, was also hit and damaged, Beshear said. About 3.5 hours northeast, some commercial buildings were damaged in Jefferson County, home to Louisville, the state’s largest city.

The governor warned residents to expect at least three more days of significant rainfall, with the possibility of both flash flooding and more widespread flooding, especially in western and central Kentucky. Most of Kentucky’s major rivers may experience river bank flooding as rainfall continues, Beshear said.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Water rescue in Nashville, Tennessee

01:14 • Source: CNN

Over a dozen water rescues took place in Nashville, Tennessee, today as heavy rain continues to impact the mid-south and lower Ohio Valley.

Video just outside Trevecca Nazarene University shows first responders approaching a partially submerged vehicle and assisting the driver as he crawls out of a window and onto a raft.

The Nashville Fire Department Special Operations division responded to 15 water-related calls from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time, it told CNN.

“All rescues that were performed were successful and there were no injuries reported,” NFD said.

The fire department shared video on X of flooding just a few blocks from the university and encouraged residents to avoid flooded roads and watch out for downed trees and debris.

Gov. Bill Lee described areas of Selmer, Tennessee, as “unrecognizable” after a tornado ripped through the town, with “entire neighborhoods wiped out.”

Selmer is approximately 100 miles east of Memphis.

President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee, making aid available to help response efforts. Lee said he hasn’t spoken with Trump directly but has talked with officials in his administration.

While the state is still reeling from the impact of tornadoes and storms, Lee warned that the next several days could spur more tornado activity and flooding. Swift water teams that help people if they get caught in flooding are being prepared ahead of the heavy rain, he said.

View drone footage of the destruction here:

Drone footage shows damage from tornado in Tennessee

00:30 • Source: CNN

Debris covers a home in Lake City, Arkansas, on Thursday.

Tornadoes in Bay and Lake City, Arkansas, and Selmer, Tennessee, on Wednesday night and early Thursday were at least EF3s, according to the National Weather Service.

These ratings for the two tornadoes are preliminary – which means they could change – and are only based on early findings, the NWS noted:

There are at least seven people injured, with six people in Lake City and one person in nearby Monette, said Lacey Kanipe, spokesperson for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management.

Damage surveys had to be cut short before they were complete out of concern for the safety of the NWS survey team due to ongoing stormy weather.

Depending on the extent of damage, it may take days to determine a final rating for each tornado. The tornadoes could end up being rated higher than EF3, but they will not be rated lower.

In Carmel, Indiana, a survey team found EF1 tornado damage, the NWS office in Indianapolis said this afternoon. Carmel is about 23 miles north of Indianapolis.

CNN’s Michael Yoshida contributed to this report.

24-hour rainfall totals as of 3:40 p.m. EDT.

Heavy rain has been pounding the central US since Wednesday afternoon, triggering flash flooding in multiple states.

Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas have so far borne the brunt of the worst rain, with some areas picking up nearly a month’s worth of rain.

Here are some of the highest 24-hour rainfall totals:

Memphis usually picks up about 5.8 inches of rain in the entire month of April. It’s gotten most of that rain in 24 hours. Bowling Green also recorded nearly an entire April’s worth of rain in the same period.

The Weather Prediction Center just took another step to signal how extreme this week’s risk of generational, life-threatening flooding really is for parts of the Mississippi Valley.

Friday’s level 3 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall was upgraded to a level 4 of 4 high risk this afternoon. Now these rare high risks are in place for three consecutive days – Thursday, Friday and Saturday – which is almost unheard of outside of hurricane season.

Last year had two stretches of at least three consecutive high risk of flooding rainfall days, but those were due to Hurricane Debby in August and Hurricane Helene in September. Similar stretches unfolded after catastrophic rainfall from Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

It’s hard to overstate just how significant level 4 of 4, high risk flooding events are. They are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for 80% of all flood-related damage and 36% of all flood-related deaths, research from the WPC shows.

All three high risk areas are either centered on or include Arkansas. Parts of Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Illinois, Indiana and Oklahoma are also within these risk areas on one or more days.

Destructive overnight storms left six people injured and dozens of homes damaged across several counties in Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeve said today.

No deaths have been reported. Those injured were in Marshall, Tate and Tippah Counties, the governor said.

At least 60 homes suffered damage across the counties of Benton, Bolivar, Marshall, Tate and Tippah, Reeve said. Damage assessments are still ongoing and that number could rise, he said.

“We know there are a lot of Mississippians that are struggling and suffering right now, and we’re going to keep them in our thoughts and prayers,” the governor said.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun activated the state’s National Guard Thursday to help with recovery after last night’s severe storms and tornadoes.

“Our Hoosier guardsmen always answer the call to serve, and in times like these, I am immensely grateful for the soldiers who are on the ground ensuring Hoosier safety,” he said in a post on X.

The severe weather impacted communities throughout Indiana, the governor said in an earlier post, adding the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

At least one person is dead in the state following the storms.

More than 4,000 flights in the US have been delayed as storms and tornado threats continue.

According to aviation tracking site FlightAware, nearly 600 US flights were canceled as of 2:45 p.m. ET.

Nashville International Airport saw 24% of its departures delayed, Washington DC’s Reagan National had 19%, and Detroit had 17%. Hubs Dallas-Fort Worth International and Chicago O’Hare led the country in departures being canceled, with 63 and 44 flights respectively.

American Airlines and United Airlines have travel advisories in place to make it easier for passengers wanting to reschedule their flights due to the weather.

Storms are rumbling from Texas to the Ohio Valley this afternoon and some are starting to get pretty feisty.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are starting to pop up in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas this afternoon as yet another damaging storm threat starts to come together. Storms will intensify further later this afternoon and into the evening.

Damaging wind gusts and hail are the main threats with any storm but a few strong tornadoes – rated EF2 or higher – are possible. The greatest tornado threat stretches from far northeastern Texas through Arkansas and into central Tennessee.

A tornado watch is in effect for more than 5 million people in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas until 10 p.m. CDT. Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, are in the watch.

Tornadoes tore through the central US over the past 24 hours and more are possible this evening.

Here’s what to do if you end up in the path of a tornado, according to the National Weather Service:

Some people without basements construct personal, underground storm shelters that are engineered to withstand a tornado strike. But those can be cost- and space-prohibitive for many.

In short: Get as low to the ground – or under it – as you can and protect your body – especially your head – from debris.

Drone video captured a small group of horses fleeing floodwaters near Interstate 65 in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, which is northeast of Nashville.

In the video, Mansker Creek has overflown its banks and surrounded a small red building and approached nearby houses.

The Metro Christian Academy, which is next to the creek, does not appear to be flooded.

Drone video shows flooding in Tennessee

01:42 • Source: CNN

A level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is now in place tomorrow for parts of northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and nearly half of Arkansas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. This higher threat level signals forecasters are more confident that dangerous thunderstorms will roar through the area Friday.

“The greatest threat for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds will be from the ArkLaTex across western Arkansas, including potential for strong to potentially intense tornadoes,” the SPC warned.

Those potentially intense tornadoes could be rated EF3 or stronger and some of Friday’s hail could be bigger than eggs.

A few storms could start rumbling to life in Friday morning, but the fiercest storms will develop starting mid-afternoon and continue through the evening.

Severe thunderstorms could also bring damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes to other portions of the central US, but the greatest tornado risk largely centers on Arkansas.

Residents of towns in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee are picking up the pieces after tornadoes and severe storms rolled into their area.

The storm outbreak has left at least seven people dead, and there is a possibility of a new round of storms with potential tornadoes today.

A smashed truck sits under a section of collapsed warehouse wall on Thursday in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.

People clean up a damaged warehouse in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday.

Clayton Bruce clears a fallen tree off a driveway on Thursday in Carmel.

Storm damage is seen at J & J Transportation on Thursday in Jeffersontown.

Willy Barns Jr. helps clean up his father's house in Selmer, Tennessee, on Thursday.

Indiana is reporting one death related to the overnight storms: in Hendricks County outside of Indianapolis, where a man came in contact with power lines that were downed by the severe weather, according to Bridget Campbell with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Hendricks County sheriff’s deputies found a blue pickup truck on fire near the edge of the road in Danville on Wednesday night, with an unresponsive man on the ground nearby, a release from the sheriff’s office said.

After power was shut off to lines that were down in the area, rescue personnel approached the 27-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators believe the man was driving the truck when it struck downed lines in the road, and that he came into contact with the lines when he left the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

The newly reported victim raises the death toll in the severe weather outbreak in the country to seven, including five deaths in Tennessee and one in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Severe weather is spurring power outages across multiple states.

Here’s what to do if you’re facing one, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross:

Remember: Never use a generator indoors. Incorrectly using a generator can lead to electric shock or electrocution, fire, or carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the US Consumer Product and Safety Commission.