Deadly Flooding Hits US South and Midwest, Claiming Lives in Oklahoma

Severe weather and widespread flooding across the US South and Midwest over the Easter holiday weekend have already claimed at least two lives in Oklahoma, including a child. Police confirmed the deaths, stating their vehicle was stranded in floodwaters, Al Jazeera reports.

Flood warnings remain in effect across Oklahoma, signaling an ongoing or imminent threat of flooding. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a stark warning on Sunday, forecasting severe thunderstorms stretching from east Texas into southeast Iowa and Illinois. The NWS also highlighted the potential for strong tornadoes and damaging winds from central Arkansas into central Missouri.

Authorities in Moore, Oklahoma, urged residents to stay home, reporting they responded to over a dozen calls late Saturday from individuals trapped in their vehicles due to rising floodwaters.

A tornado watch was also issued by the NWS for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma, indicating conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in those areas.

This latest bout of severe weather follows a deadly spring storm earlier this month that spawned tornadoes and torrential rain across a broad swath of the US, from Texas to Ohio. That storm system claimed over a dozen lives in states across the South and Midwest, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of these regions to extreme weather events.