Catastrophic flooding to remain a threat for days after deadly storms

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The deadly storm system that brought tornadoes and excessive rainfall across much of the central U.S. had passed by Tuesday morning, but the risk of more catastrophic flooding and overflowing rivers will exist through at least the middle of the week, forecasters said.

The storms claimed at least 21 lives as they produced tornadoes, damaging winds, thunderstorms and rainfall that flooded out roads and prompted evacuations. Communities along some of the nation's largest rivers were inundated. On Monday, the Ohio River in Cincinnati reached its highest level in nearly 30 years. 

Flood advisories and warnings were still in place for millions across the region as more rivers were expected to crest Tuesday. The Kentucky River near Monterey, about 20 miles from the capital Frankfort, crested above 53 feet on Tuesday, well above its 33-foot flood stage. Forecasters said there have been at least 27 major flooding sites and that number is expected to rise.

In Clarksville, Tennessee, floodwaters quickly rose and entered Roland Fanning's home over the weekend. Fanning, who is the Austin Peay State University baseball head coach, got help from his coaching staff to remove belongings from the lower level of his house, but the damage was done, he told the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, part of the Paste BN Network.

"Our homes are underwater, and valuables are getting ruined," he said. Fanning doesn't have flood insurance. "This flooding is a long-term situation, and that will be a challenge for us all."

Death toll rises to at least 21

At least 21 people have been reported dead from storm-related causes across several states. Tennessee's death toll accounts for nearly half, with 10 dead in the state.

In Kentucky, four people died, including a 9-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop on Friday morning.

Two people died in Arkansas, including a 5-year-old boy when a tree fell on his home Saturday and a man in a submerged vehicle who was found on Monday.

A 16-year-old volunteer firefighter died in Missouri on Friday in a crash while on his way to a water rescue, the Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District said.

A father and son were killed in Georgia when a tree fell on their golf cart in a storm on Sunday.

Indiana and Mississippi each also reported at least one death.

Kentucky riverfront businesses hit with difficult flooding year

Restaurants along the Ohio River in Louisville have been hit hard by flooding in 2025, with some of the same spots that flooded earlier in the year inundated again over the weekend.

“It’s been a rough year,” KingFish restaurant vice president Greg Wortham told The Courier Journal, part of the Paste BN Network. “It's kind of coming at you from all sides.”  

KingFish, with a location steps from the river, is expected to be closed for at least a week to recover, Wortham said. He knows that having a business close to the river comes with a flooding risk, but flooding back-to-back is never ideal.

For the nearby River Road BBQ, more land separates the small barbecue joint from the river, but that hasn’t halted the damage. Ahead of recent severe weather, Krissy Davis, River Road BBQ’s general manager and owner/operator, told the Courier Journal she moved everything out of the restaurant. She has most items, including tables, a refrigerator, and oven, on wheels for that reason.

“We could teach a masterclass on it,” she said of flood preparations. “This is what we do.” 

She suspects drywall and electrical repairs will be in order, but it's a wait-and-see approach when she can get back inside.

Several miles away, Andrew Masterson, owner of Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille near River Road in Prospect, posted a video of several feet of murky flood waters surrounding the restaurant from a boat.

-Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal

Snow, winds in Northeast as cold sets in

A fast-moving storm was meanwhile brining snow across parts of the Great Lakes region and Northeast into New England on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

While most of the snow is expected to be light, heavy snow will set in across northern New England states in the afternoon, with Maine expected to see between 4 and 8 inches. Hazardous travel is expected there during the Tuesday evening commute, forecasters said.

Cold temperatures were also blanketing the East through Wednesday because of the same system. High temperatures on Tuesday will be 10 to 30 degrees below normal across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley, the weather service said. Some areas will see below-freezing lows overnight before temperatures begin to warm up on Wednesday.