Damaging winds, large hail and possible tornadoes continue to threaten parts the country from Texas to the mid-Atlantic through Thursday.
More than 50 million people Wednesday are at risk of multiple rounds of storms.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear cautioned residents to “remain alert” as severe weather moves across the state.
“Multiple rounds of heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail are expected, with tornadoes possible. Listen to your local weather and take shelter if advised. Stay safe!” he posted on X.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, storms are expected to begin Wednesday evening.
“This round will impact nearly the entire state. Remember to have multiple ways of receiving warnings as most of this event will be nocturnal,” the National Weather Service for Little Rock said.
The weather service for Raleigh, North Carolina, said the central part of the state could see strong storms with the first round set to begin Wednesday afternoon and early into the evening.
A second round of storms is expected overnight into Thursday morning. The agency said in a post on X that the main threats will be large hail and strong, damaging winds but that “an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out.”
The severe weather follows devastating overnight tornadoes in Michigan.
The city of Portage, about 100 miles west of Ann Arbor, was hit with two tornadoes, Mayor Patricia M. Randall said in a statement. One ripped off the side of a FedEx facility, trapping about 50 workers, Kalamazoo County spokesperson Taylor Koopman said.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that all workers had been safely rescued from the building.
A tornado also destroyed entire residences at the Pavilion Estates Mobile Home Park in Kalamazoo County, Koopman said. About 20 people were injured, according to the sheriff’s office.
Portage city officials said there were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries but that many people have lost their homes. A local state of emergency was declared in the county following significant damage left in the tornado’s wake.
Wednesday’s storm system is expected to trigger flash flooding. As many as 7 million people throughout the Tennessee Valley and the Ohio Valley region are under flood alerts through Thursday morning, with the possibility of 1 to 3 inches of rain. Cities including Nashville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Charleston, South Carolina, could see localized flash flooding.
Other cities including Bowling Green and Paducah, Kentucky, and Clarksville and Knoxville, Tennessee, are under a moderate flood threat.
Parts of Texas could also see severe storms Wednesday evening and night, including very large hail and damaging winds, according to the weather service in Fort Worth.
On Thursday, 60 million people from the mid-Atlantic to the central and eastern parts of Texas could be hit with very large hail and possible isolated tornadoes.
