Weather forecast calls for even more storms in central US
After days of relentless storms targeting the middle part of the United States, which recently saw scores of deaths in a round of tornadoes, the thunderstorm threat on May 20 is focused on states across the Mississippi Valley before moving further east, forecasters said.
The storm system will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to Mississippi Valley states, according to the National Weather Service. There's also an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms across the Deep South and the Tennessee Valley. On May 21, the risk will shift into the Ohio Valley and East Coast. Through mid-week, storms could include strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail, the weather service said.
The storms could "exacerbate the damage that has occurred in some areas and delay cleanup efforts in others," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Youman said. This round of storms should wrap up by mid-week, according to AccuWeather.
More than two dozen people died when storms and tornadoes hit across Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia on May 16.
On May 19, there were additional preliminary reports of tornadoes in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois.
Which states could see severe weather?
Severe thunderstorms are expected in parts of at least a dozen states on May 20 through mid-week, according to the Weather Prediction Center. They include Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and West Virginia.
A larger swath of the United States encompassing most of the eastern half of the country could see rainfall and less severe thunderstorms.
On May 21, there is a marginal risk of flash flooding in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in some places with excessive rainfall.
See the national weather forecast
Severe weather outbreak claimed dozens of lives, cost billions
There were over 70 tornadoes reported in the string of storms that battered the central part of the country since May 16, with additional damage expected through the night of May 20, according to AccuWeather.
The damage is estimated at between $9 billion and $11 billion, the outlet said. The tornado that ripped through St. Louis alone damaged or destroyed more than 4,500 buildings, AccuWeather reported. Video and photos from the scene showed buildings with roofs and entire walls ripped off and vehicles smashed, along with fallen trees and power lines. Five people died there.
In London, Kentucky, and Laurel County, where deaths from the storms were concentrated, a tornado claimed the lives of at least 17 people and injured many more.
According to AccuWeather, it could take between five and 10 years for some of the hardest hit communities to rebuild, and some may never fully recover.