Heavy rainfall that has battered the Midwest was expected to finally diminish Tuesday, but the National Weather Service said runoff from the storms would cause several rivers to swell, including the Mississippi. Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding could linger through the night across the mid-Mississippi Valley and upper Great Lakes region, the agency added.
Elsewhere, hail and damaging winds may also target an area stretching from northern Arkansas to upstate New York on Tuesday. Thunderstorms and strong winds inflicted damage to cities in eastern Iowa, The Weather Channel reported. In Fairfax, Iowa, a man died Monday afternoon when a building collapsed during a derecho — a straight-line wind storm — Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner told The Weather Channel.
Severe thunderstorm watches were in effect from Michigan to Texas Monday night.
Flood waters were expected to make 11 locks and dams impassable on the upper Mississippi River, forcing the closure of the river later on Monday from Bellevue, Iowa, to Saverton, Missouri, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told The Associated Press.
IN DEPTH
- Severe Weather Forecast, Live Updates: Derecho Fading, But New Severe Storms Firing From Illinois to Oklahoma (The Weather Channel)
- Public Severe Weather Outlook (National Weather Service)