Washington, DC, Baltimore and Nashville are among the other cities where severe weather is expected, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said, adding that major threats include isolated hurricanes and damaging winds..
He said there was a possibility of heavy rain with storms on Monday, especially across the Ohio River Valley, at one to two inches per hour. Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and parts of West Virginia, with heavy rainfall over the past two weeks. Any extra rain would worsen the ongoing river flooding, Brink said.
Rescue efforts are continuing in Iowa as these large areas of the country face the possibility of more severe weather, where several hurricanes touched down near Des Moines on Saturday. Authorities say seven people, including two children, were killed in the storm.
District Madison County Managing Director Diogenes Ayala said six Madison County residents were killed. At a news conference in Winterset on Sunday afternoon, the victim was 72 years old for a senior and 2 years old for a junior. He had earlier said that two people under the age of 5 were the victims.
An official said a man was killed in the countryside near the town of Charidan in Lucas County.
Six people are being treated for hurricane injuries in Madison County, according to officials. Ayala had earlier said that one adult had life-threatening injuries and three others had been admitted to hospital in critical condition.
“I think this is the worst thing anyone has seen in a long time,” Ayala said Sunday.
One family was reported trapped in the storm shelter, but was later able to help, and the agency said they were safe.
At least 2 EF3 hurricanes hit Iowa, NWS says
After the severe weather passed, many residents began the difficult process of recovering from the damage.
“You realize who cares about you, you make yourself feel special, you know you have all these people who are ready to help you,” he told KCCI.
The NWS said it was an EF3 in the initial estimate of the Madison County hurricane that hit Winterset.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster notice to Madison County, allowing state resources to be used for response and recovery efforts, according to a news release. Additional districts may be included in the declaration.
According to initial NWS studies, Hurricane Chariton was estimated to be EF3, blowing at 138 mph and above ground for more than 16 miles.
Other hurricanes that touched down included the EF2, which was blowing at a speed of 122 mph near Lyon, which was 19 miles below the ground, the NWS said.
NWS reports Hurricane EF1 with winds of up to 110 mph in Winton, EF1 with 100 mph in West Lake Park and Hurricane EF-0 with 65 mph in West Lake Park.
The agency said Sunday it was conducting damage inspections across the state and working to determine how many hurricanes had occurred.
CNN’s Andy Rose, Melissa Alonso, Jennifer Feldman, Alison Cinsor, Jean Norman, Hannah Charison, Susanna Cullinen and Aya Elamroosi contributed to the report.
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