Life-threatening flash flooding looms as torrential rains soak Tennessee, Kentucky

Water rescues have been reported in western Tennessee and southern Kentucky as more than 3-5 inches of rain fell by Saturday afternoon with more on the way. 

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Life-threatening flash flooding is sweeping across parts of Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday as a potent storm brings a myriad of threats across the Eastern U.S.

Already numerous reports of flooded and impassable roads dot the map in western Tennessee and into southern Kentucky, where rainfall reports have climbed over 3-5 inches as of midday Saturday with more rain still to come.

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So far, there have been two dozen Flash Flood Warnings amid a Flood Watch tagged with the more dire “Particularly Dangerous Situation” designation as torrential rains fall on ground already saturated from previous soaking rain events of the past few week.

In Corbin, Kentucky, flood waters carried a truck off a road and into nearby ditch, according to a storm report from the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky.

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

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.

A driver also became stranded in floodwaters in Martin, Tennessee, another NWS spotter reported.  Scottsville, Kentucky reported “numerous roads are impassable,” while city officials in Clarksville, Tennessee posted multiple photos of flood-covered roads around their town.

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has now issued their most dire level 4 flash flood threat rating of “extreme” to parts of northwestern Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. 

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“There’s so much moisture available and it’s going to continue to get pumped in from the south throughout the day,” Sarsalari said. “This is the real problem here – 1 to 2 inch per hour rain rates. That’s a that’s an extreme rate of rain. So it’s going to be falling so heavily, the creeks and streams start to get overloaded. And then all of a sudden, before you know it, you’ve got catastrophic flooding going on, which is definitely a possibility today.”

WHY RARE ‘HIGH RISK’ FLOOD DAYS NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

High risks are only issued on about 4% of days, but this risk category accounts for 39% of flood-related fatalities and 83% of flood-related damages in the continental U.S., according to research by WPC meteorologists. About half of such alerts result in at least one death.

“So this is going to be a really big deal,” Sarsalari said. 

A Level 3 out of 4 risk for flash flooding expands farther out into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys as potential exists for numerous flash floods, some of which could be significant. With rain rates of 1 inch or more per hour falling on already saturated soil across the region, a rare high risk of flash flooding (Level 4) could be issued.

Flood Watches have been issued that extend over 900 miles from Arkansas to Pennsylvania. About 11 states are included under these.