Millions of people will get drenched or pummeled by severe weather that’s arriving just in time for Memorial Day.
Nasty weather that threatened 40 million people from Texas to Pennsylvania on Sunday will move southeast on Memorial Day, wiping out barbeque plans in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The storm system is not to be taken lightly. Residents in Missouri and Tennessee are still trying to recover from what hit them.
2 dead, 1 missing in Missouri
Two bodies were recovered Sunday after a car carrying three people drove into water the day before. All three were from Nashville, Arkansas, visiting Branson, Missouri, in affiliation with the HoopsPlay Basketball Tournaments being held there, city officials said.
Rescue personnel are still searching for the driver of vehicle.
The popular tourist destination was deluged with 4 to 6 inches of rain in less than 24 hours.
James Lucas Jr. was driving with his family on Fall Creek Road when they were suddenly caught in a flash flood.
“The creek had swollen out of its banks and was pushing stalled-out cars down the hill into me,” Lucas said.
“Four kids were screaming the whole time, watching people and cars floating by,” he said. “Kinda was really amazing because we all made it safe.”
At least 12 people were rescued from the rapid flooding.
Long-term power outages
Ferocious winds reached 69 mph in Memphis, CNN affiliate WMC reported Sunday. They were strong enough to topple a memorial at Tom Lee Park.
The storm severed electricity to more than 150,000 residents in the Memphis area — and some of them might not get power for a week, said Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
“Please begin to prepare for a long term outage situation. Make arrangements for elderly, young children,” the power company tweeted. “Full restoration could take at least a week.”
Northeast to get thrashed, too
While much of the nasty weather Monday will be concentrated in the Southeast, the northern stretch of the storm system will also pummel parts of the mid-Atlantic on Memorial Day.
Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia are “also going to be dealing with some very heavy rain and the potential for severe weather,” CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said.
That means for many, it’s time to bring the Memorial Day plans inside.