Catastrophic rainfall triggers Flash Flood Emergencies as severe weather outbreak drags into fourth day

Flash Flood Emergency declared in Little Rock as torrential rains pummel Arkansas

FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel reports live from Sherwood, Arkansas as multiple lightning bolts peppered the screen and heavy rains trigger flash flooding. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Life-threatening flooding and dangerous severe weather pummeled large swaths of the nation's heartland again Saturday for the fourth day in a row, promising to leave some areas with heavy rainfall not seen in generations.

Torrential rains stalled over southeastern Missouri and the Texarkana region of northeastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas on Friday night, and swept into central Arkansas and western Tennessee Saturday, triggering multiple Flash Flood Emergency warnings - the National Weather Service's most dire flooding alert.

Street flooding in Memphis on April 5, 2025.

In Memphis, rain falling at rates of over 5 inches an hour quickly overwhelmed streets and neighborhoods on Saturday afternoon, leading to a Flash Flood Emergency. Water rescues were needed in West Memphis while video from Tennessee's Dept. of Transportation showed floodwaters swamping parts of Interstate 40.

Flash Flood Emergency issued for Memphis

A Flash Flood Emergency has been issued for areas of eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. Americans living in those areas, such as Memphis, are advised to seek shelter at least until the Flash Flood Emergency expires at 8:15 p.m. CT.

The storm drenched Little Rock, Arkansas, earlier in the day, also triggering a Flash Flood Emergency - the first in the city's history.  Lightning bolts flashed in rapid succession as thunder boomed multiple times as FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel reported from nearby Sherwood.

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Severe thunderstorm pummels Little Rock area with relentless lightning, torrential rain

FOX Weather's Mike Seidel and photographer Jarrod Maloney were in the thick of a massive thunderstorm as it swept through the Little Rock, Arkansas area Saturday morning, dodging lightning strikes as the NWS issued a Flash Flood Emergency.

There were multiple reports of trees down across the city as gusts reached over 65 mph. Little Rock Air Force Base clocked a gust of 69 mph, and a community center just to the south reported some wind damage. Several miles away to the northeast, portions of Interstate 57 sat under floodwater, the NWS reported. 

Farther north, near the Missouri border, several train cars derailed as torrential rains led to swollen rivers that wiped out a bridge in Mammoth Spring State Park. 

Photos from the scene showed multiple train cars toppled and heavily damaged train tracks stretching across the Warm Fork Spring River.

A trail derailed as the Warm Fork Spring River flooded during severe storms on April 5, 2025.

(Donell Russell / FOX Weather)

Over in Missouri, tens of thousands in Cape Girardeau and Van Buren were under flooding emergency Friday night. Cape Girardeau reported over 3 inches of rain in just over 90 minutes late Friday evening in one burst, with emergency managers reporting at least 10 roads covered in water and multiple water rescues.

Flooding in West Plains, MO

(Missouri Division of Fire Safety / FOX Weather)

Forecasters issued similar dire warnings overnight Friday for Texarkana, where 2-4 inches of rain fell. Texarkana police were responding to stranded motorists on Friday night across the Texas city during the Flash Flooding Emergency. 

"We’re just gonna lay it out there … If you don’t have a darn good reason for being out (like one that involves a visit to the emergency room), please stay home and off the roads!! This is not just another Friday night in Texarkana," the Texarkana Police Department wrote on Facebook. 

Earlier in the day, officials in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reported 60% of their downtown area was underwater.

The flooding has swamped numerous homes and submerged cars in Hopkinsville.

"It’s destroyed. I can’t salvage anything out of it," said Paul Garrett, a Hopkinsville resident whose home was flooded. "I’ve lived here a long time, and this is the worst I’ve ever seen it. The weather crew has been good about warning us about things. Take it for granted or not, you just wind up at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Hopkinsville, Kentucky flooding prompting rescues as rain continues

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell reports from Hopkinsville, Kentucky where heavy rain will continue to cause deadly flooding. The Hopkinsville Fire Department has been busy rescuing people from flooding and residents say this is the worst they have ever seen flooding in the area.

About 120,000 people remain without power in Arkansas as of Saturday afternoon, according to FindEnergy.com

Meanwhile, dozens of Tornado Warnings wailed across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into northeastern Texas as a stalled frontal system spawned a renewed round of severe thunderstorms and super cells.

Significant damage to structures was reported around Clarksville, Texas, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Spotters reported to the National Weather Service office in Shreveport, Louisiana, that a bottling plant in Hawkins, Texas, was damaged by a nearby tornado strike.  

The tornado was part of a series of supercells tracked by National Weather Service meteorologists across East Texas. It followed nearly the same path as the twister that struck the plant in 2016.

There have been no reports so far of any reports of injuries from Friday night's storms.

But at least nine people have died from the multiple severe weather and flooding events through the week as a massive storm system remained stuck over the central U.S. A 9-year-old boy was killed Friday morning in Frankfort, Kentucky when he was swept away by floodwaters on his way to school.

Large and dangerous tornado crosses road right in front of FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic.

(FOX Weather)

Seven others have died from tornadoes and severe storms -- five of them in Tennessee, according to state officials.  

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Catastrophic flash flooding threatens millions Saturday

The dire flooding threat stretches through the weekend.  Repeating rounds of rainfall will lead to potentially historic amounts, particularly focused on the lower Ohio Valley, mid-South and Ozarks, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

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Storm total rain amounts of 5-15 inches are likely, and some locations may see up to 20 inches. Rainfall rates of 2 inches per hour or more will lead to rapid-onset flash flooding, leaving people caught off guard by the speed of water rise.  

Since Monday, over 9 inches of rain has fallen in Lewisburg, Kentucky, with just over 7 inches in Bowling Green, nearly 7 inches in Memphis and nearly 4 inches in Nashville.

A category 4 risk for flash flooding – the highest level on the warning system – remains in effect for more than 5 million people through early Sunday morning. That includes large cities like Little Rock, Jonesboro, and Memphis. 

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Nashville is just outside that zone in a level 3 flash flood risk.

"Saturday is the day that concerns me the most right now," said Meteorologist Ryan Husted with the National Weather Service in Nashville. "Because we have time for our atmosphere to recharge, which means we have the potential for dangerous severe thunderstorms once again. In addition, our ground is saturated -- that means any rain that falls will run off and it’s going to cause flooding. I’m very confident that Saturday is a dangerous day for flash flooding going into Saturday night."

Flood Watches are in effect for nearly a 1,000-mile stretch that includes parts of 12 states. The amount of rain will also trigger flooding in areas that do not usually flood, according to NWS forecasters.

In addition to flash flooding, extensive river flooding is feared. NOAA's Water Prediction Center says 10 rivers in the region have already reached major flood stage with more than 50 expected to eventually reach that stage. Another 110 rivers are expected to reach at least moderate flood stage.

'Wild scene': Arkansas faces ongoing flooding, tornado threat

FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel reports from Sherwood, Arkansas outside of Little Rock. Overnight the region saw powerful tornado-warned storms and flash flooding. 

"Impacts from this event will be significant and may be historic," said meteorologists with NWS Paducah.

Even long after the rain ends on Sunday, the flood impacts will be far from over. All the water will continue to surge into progressively larger streams and rivers across the region.

These, in turn, will rise through the weekend and even into next week. Houses that did not flood when the rain was falling may find themselves underwater days later. 

As the water eventually drains into the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in the days and weeks ahead, some flooding is likely downstream.  Waters in Baton Rouge, Mississippi may reach the highest level in four years later this month, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

Severe weather remains a threat over the weekend

As has also been the case much of the week, multiple rounds of severe storms producing damaging winds and a few tornadoes are forecast for Saturday and Saturday night from the Sabine Valley into the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Some strong tornadoes (EF-2+), very large hail, and severe gusts above 70 mph will be possible.

The day will be active right from the start, as storms line up from northeast Texas up into the Ohio Valley. Flooding rain, quarter-size hail, and a few 60+ mph wind gusts will be the primary concerns. 

As the day goes on, a notable risk of tornadoes will be in place across northern Louisiana, central Mississippi, and far northeast Texas. Finally, a notable increase in the threat for damaging non-tornadic winds will exist from western Tennessee down as far south as the Houston metro. Wind gusts from these storms may top 75 mph.

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Overall, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has a large swath of the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys – many of the same areas simultaneously under threat of historic flash flooding under a level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather. However, there is a new heightened level 4 risk now in effect around Memphis due to worries of potential for strong tornadoes and wind gusts over 75 mph from an approaching squall line. 

The line of storms will charge across Mississippi and Louisiana overnight with primarily a damaging wind threat. A couple of tornadoes will be possible as well.

Active severe weather watches on Saturday.
(FOX Weather)

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Severe weather will continue into early on Sunday and move across parts of the Gulf Coast states and Tennessee Valley.