Flooding leads to levee failure in Tennessee, 9 deaths in Kentucky with high-water rescues continuing

Deadly flash flooding event unfolding across Kentucky, Tennessee

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell reports from Clarksville, Tennessee were more than 7 inches of rain caused devastating flash flooding. In neighboring Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said more than 1,000 water rescues have been conducted during a deadly flash flooding event this weekend.

A catastrophic and historic flooding event unfolded across portions of four states over the weekend, leading to a levee failure in Tennessee and leaving at least nine people, including a child, dead in Kentucky as a powerful storm system brought numerous threats to the eastern half of the U.S.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear held a news conference Sunday afternoon when he announced the jump in fatalities and feared that number would continue to grow as search and rescue operations continued across the state.

On Sunday evening, Beshear posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, about another tragic fatality. 

"I am sad to share some more tough news tonight, Kentucky. We just confirmed another weather-related death out of Pike County, bringing our total loss to 9 people. Please join Britainy and me as we pray for these families during this difficult time," Beshear said. 

SEE IT: VIDEOS, PHOTOS SHOW SCOPE OF DEADLY FLOODING FROM KENTUCKY TO VIRGINIA

Aerial photos show homes and buildings flooded after a levee failed in Rives, Tennessee. 

(EM - Ballard County Emergency Management - Beau Dodson / FOX Weather)

He also said more than 1,000 rescues have taken place as a result of the flash flooding.

Beshear said the deaths were either flood-related or from motor vehicle crashes, and a child has been included among the victims.

"We believe this number is going to grow," Beshear said. "We hope it doesn’t grow quickly or much larger."

1 DEAD IN ATLANTA AS SEVERE STORMS PUMMEL SOUTHEAST EARLY SUNDAY

Officials in Tennessee also urged residents of Rives to evacuate and seek higher ground after a levee failed along the Obion River, leading to rapid-onset flooding in the town and surrounding areas.

"Water rescues are ongoing," the National Weather Service office in Memphis said on X. "If you are in the area, GET TO HIGHER GROUND NOW! This is a LIFE THREATENING situation."

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Watch: Major flooding washes away trees in Madison County, Kentucky

A video shared from Madison County, Kentucky, shows major flooding that washed away trees and turned roads into rivers over the weekend.

Countless roads have been declared impassable in western and northern Tennessee, southern Kentucky and near the West Virginia-Virginia border, where rainfall reports climbed to over 5-8 inches during the first half of the weekend.

"We need all Kentuckians to remain alert," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a post on X. "There are more than 300 road closures, with (the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) leaders saying the statewide impact is historic."

Beshear said that, between reports of mudslides in the eastern portion of the state and snow impacting the western part of the state, the situation remains extremely dangerous. 

Deadly flash flooding swamps multiple states in Tennessee Valley, Appalachians

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell reports from Clarksville, Tennessee, where she says more than 7 inches of rain resulted in flash flooding that shut down over two dozen roads in the area. While the rain has ended as of Sunday morning, the runoff is now causing river levels to rise, so the flood threat is far from over.

"Please plan ahead, avoid travel and stay safe, Kentucky," Beshear concluded.

The threats had been significant enough before the storm that precautionary evacuations were ordered along some rivers and streams in the Tennessee Valley, and shelters were forced to open.

A nursing home in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, near the state border with Kentucky, was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, and water rescues were ongoing around the Hurley, Virginia, area.

7 WARNING SIGNS A LANDSLIDE OR MUDSLIDE IS IMMINENT

This photo shows a rockslide that occurred on Interstate 69 in Dawson Springs, Kentucky.

(DawsonSpringsPolice/Facebook / FOX Weather)

The relentless rain also led to reports of mudslides and rockslides over the weekend, including one that sent large boulders crashing down on Interstate 69 in Dawson Springs, Kentucky.

Police in Pikeville, Kentucky, said the downtown area of the city was inaccessible from U.S. 23 to the U.S. 119 intersection.

"The river has now covered all lanes of travel in that area and is too deep for vehicles," police said in a Facebook post. "Again, this is not the time to be out getting pictures and videos. Do not be on the roadways unless it’s an emergency or you’ve been evacuated and heading to shelter."

While the rainfall has now ended, the flooding threat will continue into the new workweek as several rivers remain high and are not expected to crest for several days.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HOUSE FLOODS?

Some areas impacted by flooding will face extreme cold and a winter storm this week. A Winter Storm Watch is in place for central Kentucky, where between 2 and 4 inches of snow is possible through Wednesday. 

Flooding turns deadly in Kentucky

Watch: Tennessee creek rages after torrential rain led to widespread flooding

A video shared from Hartsville, Tennessee, north of Nashville, shows a creed that turned into a raging river as torrential rain fell across the region and led to numerous reports of flooding.

Beshear confirmed at least nine deaths as a result of the ongoing situation and feared that number could continue to rise as more search and rescue operations are conducted across the state.

The Clay County, Kentucky, Coroner’s Office reported that a 73-year-old man from the Blue Grass State was found dead in the Horse Creek area of Clay County after reportedly getting knocked off his feet by rushing water while exiting his vehicle around Highway 80.

At the time, the coroner’s office said it was treating the event as an accidental drowning because of the severe weather and was the only weather-related fatality in the county despite widespread flooding.

According to information provided by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, a vehicle with a woman and a 7-year-old inside was swept off a roadway on Saturday night by floodwaters. 

The 7-year-old child was recovered and pronounced dead by the coroner. The woman has yet to be located, and a search was underway to locate her. No other information was immediately available.

In total, deaths have been reported in five Kentucky counties – Hart, Pike, Washington, Clay and Nelson.

This imaged shared by FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell shows flooding in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.

(Brandy Campbell / FOX Weather)

In Corbin, Kentucky, floodwaters carried a truck off a road and into nearby ditch, according to a storm report from the area's National Weather Service office.

Near Lewisburg, Kentucky, swift-water rescue teams were needed to rescue a driver who became trapped in swift waters of the swollen Mud River, the NWS reported. Another water rescue was needed to the west in the town of Murray.

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Road floods in Middle Tennessee

Heavy causes flooding in the Middle Tennessee town of Cottontown on Saturday as storms sweep through the area.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a state of emergency for the commonwealth before the weather, and on Saturday night, he said he wrote to President Donald Trump requesting an emergency disaster declaration because of the impacts across the state.

That request was approved early Sunday morning.

"Thank you, @potus, for approving my request for an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky," Beshear said on X. "Now, federal funding is available for impacted areas, helping us better respond and support affected Kentuckians."

On Saturday, NOAA's Weather Prediction Center had issued its most dire Level 4 flash flood threat rating of "extreme" for parts of northwestern Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky.

Catastrophic flooding event occurs in the Virginias

Watch: Video shows flooding in Virginia community of Pulaski

A video recorded in Pulaski, Virginia, shows flooding that occurred as heavy rain fell across areas of the U.S. from the Tennessee Valley to the Appalachians over the weekend.

Several rare Flash Flood Emergencies were issued by the National Weather Service office in Charleston, West Virginia, for communities around the border region as rain fell on already-saturated grounds, causing streams and rivers to quickly flood.

Catastrophic flooding was reported to be ongoing Saturday in communities such as Hurley and Grundy, Virginia, where roadways simply turned into streams and became dangerous.

Several rockslides were reported, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he's deployed the National Guard, among other first responders, to the area.

A Level 4 out of 4 high-risk flood threat is issued on about 4% of days, but this risk category accounts for 39% of flood-related fatalities and 83% of flood-related damage in the continental U.S., according to research by NOAA's Weather Prediction Center meteorologists. About half of such alerts result in at least one death.

WHY RARE 'HIGH RISK' FLOOD DAYS NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

A Level 3 out of 4 risk for flash flooding expanded farther out into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Saturday as the potential existed for numerous flash floods, some of which were expected to be significant. 

Flood Watches also extended over 900 miles from Arkansas to Pennsylvania on Saturday, with about 11 states included under those. Most of these watches had been allowed to expire by Sunday morning.