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Flooding, road closures continue in several states

Areas of intense rain lingering Thursday mainly in Mississippi, Ohio valleys

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Major flash flooding continues to slam parts of the Mississippi Valley, keeping some roads closed.


Flash flooding in Bentonville, Arkansas, April 28, 2021. (Photo: Aaron Hollinger)

One of the worst-hit areas since Wednesday has been northwestern Arkansas, where local airports recorded 2.25 to 3 inches of precipitation in their rain gauges. Bentonville saw some of the worst flash flooding, leaving people stranded in the high water. Several state highways in the region were still closed as of Thursday morning due to high water or washouts, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

A slow-moving frontal system is moving through the region, resulting in “training” — the same areas being hit by the torrential rain over and over again. Drainage systems can’t keep up, and waterways rise quickly.


Eastern portions of Oklahoma and Texas, in addition to southern Missouri, have also been flooded, with flash flood watches stretching all the way to southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. New and additional areas of flash flooding could develop Thursday in the watch areas.

As the storm system moves through the Southeast and Northeast later Thursday into Friday, the flood threat should weaken. However, there’s a chance for scattered areas of severe thunderstorm winds, large hail and a few tornadoes from Tennessee as well as northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, to parts of the mid-Atlantic.

Heavy rain could come back to the Mississippi Valley by Sunday.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.


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Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.