Long-Running Storm Drenches Central U.S. but Starts to Shift East

The huge storm system that has caused widespread damage across the central United States is bringing more heavy rain and high winds on Sunday, continuing its dayslong stretch of soaking communities from Texas to Ohio as it begins to move east.

The heaviest rains over the weekend so far have fallen in Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky, and rising water levels and flooding have prompted water rescues, road closures and evacuation orders. The storm has killed at least 16 people, including a 5-year-old boy in Arkansas, a 9-year-old boy in Kentucky and a firefighter in Missouri, since it began on Wednesday.

The threat of storms and rainfall will shift eastward but diminish on Sunday, which will be a welcome reprieve for residents in the South and the Midwest. In some areas — including northern Arkansas and southern Missouri — rivers are expected to crest on Sunday, and possibly as late as Wednesday, but the risk of dangerous flooding will not be as high as it was on Friday and Saturday.

While the worst of the rain is over in northern Kentucky, parts of the region are still expected to receive up to five inches of rain before the long stretch of bad weather finally clears, according to the National Weather Service. “Moderate to major” flooding was forecast on many of the region’s rivers.

“Given the fact that everything is so saturated, everything is just running right off the ground and into area creeks and streams,” said Nate McGinnis, a meteorologist with the agency in Wilmington, Ohio.

On Sunday, eastern Mississippi, nearly all of Alabama, northwestern Georgia and eastern Tennessee will be facing the brunt of the storm, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

A tornado touched down in the Barton area, near the city of Florence, AL., late Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Parts of the Southeast, from southeastern Louisiana through the western end of Virginia, were at risk for tornadoes.

Over the weekend, emergency workers in states including Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky have been engaged in water rescue missions as floodwaters rose. A firefighter in Missouri died while on a rescue call, and a 74-year-old man’s body was found in a submerged vehicle in Kentucky.

Parts of Montgomery County, Ky., have been evacuated, county officials said on social media. Parts of Shelbyville, Ky., a city of over 17,000, were also under mandatory evacuation orders because of flooding in the Big Blue and Little Blue Rivers, local officials said.

Falmouth, Ky., a small city of 2,500 on the Licking River, was also under a mandatory evacuation order, and many residents fled on Friday night and Saturday morning in anticipation of major flooding.

Debbie Dennie, a former editor of the Falmouth Outlook newspaper, said that, if forecasts hold through the weekend, “it would be devastating” for the city. She recalled flooding in the city in 1997, which killed five people. Since that disaster, river gauges have been installed to better track water levels, and evacuees have been heeding warnings of the river’s rise.

The worst of the storm has largely passed communities along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, but many areas are still reeling from the damage. In Cape Girardeau, Mo., along the Mississippi River, a pizzeria was closed indefinitely after its roof collapsed, and an antique shop’s windows were blown out.

Kyleigh Baliva, who works at a separate antique store owned by her family, recalled when her shop flooded recently. “The water came up because of the rain. It had nowhere to go,” she said. “We’ve seen it happen before, but it hasn’t happened in at least 10 years like this.”

Her antique shop, which has a pump in the basement, was largely spared by the recent flooding.

In Tyrone, Jessica Stratton, who grew up there, knows her camper is already a loss and expects it to wash away. On Saturday, she brought whatever groceries she had left in her camper to Tyrone Baptist Church to organize and serve meals to those who had been displaced. She was planning to stay the night at the church or with friends.

“People are prepared and getting their stuff out. We watch and wait and make sure everyone is OK and has something to eat,” Ms. Stratton said. “I’m not leaving my people behind. Everybody’s worth saving.”

Carly Gist, Mitch Smith, Amy Graff, Yan Zhuang and Ginny Whitehouse contributed reporting.