A train of rain and thunderstorms sat over the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys for the beginning of April, bringing historic flooding in the region.
The setup brought severe weather with it, including damaging wind gusts, large hail and several tornadoes. In addition, the front that brought that stalled over the region, bringing heavy rainfall for days, leading to flooding of area creeks, streams and large rivers.
The Ohio River in Louisville, Ky., recorded a crest of nearly 37 feet. That was 20 feet above flood stage. It was the 8th highest level the river has been in recorded history.
The Ohio River in Owensboro, Ky., recorded a crest of 47.5 feet. That made it the 6th highest level on record.
The Mississippi River in Osceola, Ark. recorded a crest of 37.6 feet, which is considered major flooding. That’s almost 10 feet above flood stage.
Some areas from Kentucky into Tennessee and Arkansas saw over a foot of rainfall.
There was also a severe side to the storm with several days of tornadoes, damaging wind, and hail with thunderstorms. Here’s a look at the tornado paths across the Ohio Valley and south over a six-day period.
This April has been active in terms of tornadoes. So far, there have been 217 tornadoes across the United States. On average, April brings around 200 tornadoes across the country.
With the heavy rain from the severe thunderstorms, some places for the Mid-South and Mississippi River Valley for the month of April are running over a half foot above the average for precipitation.
It also looks like the active weather pattern will persist into the beginning of May, which will add to the greater than normal precipitation.
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