Midwest Braces for More Floods After Severe Storms
Flooding submerged neighborhoods across Indiana and Ohio for a third consecutive day Thursday. The National Weather Service placed 36 million people under flood alerts across the Midwest.
- 277 flash flood incidents have been reported across the Ohio Valley since Monday.
- New Castle, Indiana received more than 11 inches of rain in just over a day.
- 250,000 people in Indiana and Illinois woke Thursday without power.
- Seven flash flood emergencies have been declared in the region since Tuesday.
Why it matters: Ground across Indiana and Ohio is already saturated, raising the risk that additional rain will flood creeks, streams, and urban areas with little warning.
- River levels are still rising and could challenge records in some areas, potentially reaching highs not seen in more than a century.
- Major metro areas — Indianapolis, Des Moines, Louisville, and Nashville — face active flood warnings through Friday.
How 4 sources split on this story
Center coverage, 3 sources: The center emphasizes day-by-day forecast guidance and practical safety information for residents still in the storm's path.
Left coverage, 1 sources: The left focuses on the human toll — residents rescued by boat, a man clinging to a light pole, families overwhelmed by losses — and the storm's historic scale.
What’s next: The National Weather Service says Thursday night into Friday morning carries the greatest storm and flooding risk for the Cincinnati region.
- An additional 4 or more inches of rain is possible across parts of Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Tennessee.
- A drier stretch is expected through the weekend before another cold front arrives Sunday night.
- How many homes and roads sustained damage, and what the total scale of destruction across the Ohio Valley will be, is not yet known.
- Whether rivers will break century-old records remains uncertain as water levels continue to rise.