The cluster of tornadoes, heavy rain and winds that created a path of destruction and fatalities through seven southern states on April 27 continued their advance a day later, hitting parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Illinois. According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the storms were expected to cause more problems on Wednesday.
Weather watchers believed parts of southeastern Mississippi through central Alabama would face the worst of it on April 29, with super cells and severe thunderstorms creating a risk of flooding and water damage there and elsewhere as heavy rains continued, AIR Worldwide said.
Scott Stransky, manager and principal scientist at Boston-based AIR Worldwide, noted in a statement that Alabama is already under a state of emergency, and that parts of the state have endured storm-related destruction of homes and some public buildings through this event. AIR Worldwide said that a number of other states remain at risk as long-lasting thunderstorms and tornadoes, along with hail and strong winds, advanced through Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, the Florida panhandle, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The Associated Press reported the morning of April 29 that as many as 28 people died from the cluster of tornadoes that began tearing across 7 states on April 27. Arkansas took the biggest hit at that point. It will likely take some time to assess the extent of storm-related damage after the storm cluster dissipates.