Flooding leaves two dead in Kentucky as snow and ice cause misery elsewhere
The US is being hit by another round of biting winter weather.
Much of the US is enduring another round of biting winter weather, with torrential rain causing intense flooding in Kentucky which left two dead.
A 73-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Clay County, while in Hart County a youth has died and a second victim is missing in flooding.
Elsewhere, severe storms have swept through parts of Florida and Georgia, where tornado watches are in effect on Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Bone-chilling cold is expected for the Northern Plains, with temperatures as low as minus 34C near the Canadian border. Dangerously cold wind chill temperatures in the Dakotas and Minnesota of minus 40-45C are expected.
Heavy snowfall is expected in parts of New England and northern New York. In some areas, wind gusts could reach 60mph and create “hazardous white-out conditions” the NWS said.
Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky on Saturday night and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia. Both of the states are under flood warnings, along with Tennessee and Arkansas. The NWS warned residents to stay off the roads.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear pre-emptively declared a state of emergency in Kentucky, where flash flooding is expected into Sunday with up to 20.3cm of rain forecast.
“We want to specifically put assets in places that flood and have flooded in the past,” he said.
The Kentucky River Medical Centre in the city of Jackson said it had closed its emergency department on Saturday night and was transferring all patients to two other hospitals in the region. The hospital said it would re-evaluate conditions on Sunday to determine when it can safely reopen.
The north fork of the Kentucky River was forecast to crest nearly 14ft above flood stage on Sunday afternoon, the weather service said.
Photos posted by authorities and residents on social media show cars and buildings underwater in south-central and eastern Kentucky. In Buchanan County, Virginia, the sheriff’s office said multiple roads were blocked by mudslides.
The Simpson County Office of Emergency Management in Kentucky said authorities performed several rescues from broken down vehicles in floodwaters.
Meanwhile, heavy snow is expected to blanket much of New England and then transition to sleet, making travel nearly impossible. The heaviest accumulations, possibly 30.5cm or more, are expected in upstate New York and portions of northern New England.
“Ice accumulations up to a quarter inch are forecast for some areas, making driving conditions dangerous,” the weather service said. “Heavy icing in some locations may result in downed trees and power outages.”
