Tornado Outbreak: Severe Weather in Arkansas Leaves 5 Dead, Flooding in Missouri
Severe Weather Breaks Records
Forecasters expect more rain and storms today to slam across the Midwest, as the system moves east.
In Arkansas, three people were killed in rising floodwaters and two died in a town where a possible tornado barreled through Monday, according to the Associated Press.
In Vilonia, Ark., north of Little Rock, where a possible tornado killed two people, Caroline Thompson recalled taking cover as the storm approached.
"We all ended up in the closet. And then you could just hear crashing and stuff being knocked around and blown around. And it tore us up," Thompson said.
In Pocahontas, Ark., the Black River is a few feet from topping the levee.
Several roads are closed, including highway 90, because of flooding, officials said.
Daily American Republic, Paul Davis/AP Photo
Home and businesses south of Poplar Bluff, Mo., are flooded out by rising waters from the Black... View Full Size
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Marty Cagle of the Randolph County Office of Emergency Management said the river might crest at the end of the work week.
"The level of the Black River, here at Pocahontas right now is possibly 18 feet. They are predicting by sometime, Friday, that it will be approximately 25 point two foot," Cagle told ABC News Radio.
Missouri Flooding
But Arkansas wasn't alone in flooding.
About 1,000 residents in Poplar Bluff, Mo., were evacuated because of rising waters Monday.
Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said several county roads were closed because of rising water along the Black River.
"At this point, it's getting to where the roads are impassable. There's so much water spilling over the levees," Dobbs said.
Poplar Bluff resident Kenneth Kimbro worries about what he will find when he returns to his home.
Kimbro was among hundreds evacuated from their homes.
"I'm overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed and I'm scared inside. And I just got to be, I think I'm just going to have to be praying," Kimbro told ABC News Radio.
In Texas, hail shattered windshields and winds up to 100 miles per hour prompted officials to warn people to take cover just before a twister touched down near the town of Cleburne.
To date, there have been more than 5,400 severe weather reports recorded this month and 44 people killed nationwide in tornadoes.
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