DEMOTTE, Ind. (AP) - The Latest on potentially severe weather developing in parts of the US (all times local):
11:55 p.m.
Authorities say a woman has died in in south central Kentucky after severe weather moved through the area.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Department tells television station WKRN that 79-year-old Dallas Jane Combs died after a suspected tornado hit her home Saturday night. Sheriff officials say Combs was inside the home when it collapsed on her. Combs was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say Combs’ husband was outside the house when the unconfirmed tornado hit and he sustained minor injuries.
Strom-related damage also was reported in Middle Tennessee, where Fox17 in Nashville reports extensive damage to homes and vehicles. Fox17 says at least a dozen homes were damaged in one Montgomery County subdivision.
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8:15 p.m.
Authorities in northeast Arkansas say one person was killed after high winds toppled a trailer home.
Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller tells KAIT-TV that 83-year-old Albert Foster died Saturday night after the home was blown away. Miller says the trailer was found in a pond in the backyard.
About 50 miles away, the National Weather Service says storm damage was reported in the neighboring towns of Keiser and Osceola, nearly 160 miles (257 kilometers) north of Memphis, Tennessee.
The weather service says the roof was blown off a hotel in Osceola. No immediate reports of injuries.
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3:40 p.m.
The National Weather Service has expanded a tornado watch to more states as a potentially severe storm system moves northeastward.
The watch now includes northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, northwest Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. It expires at 9 p.m. Saturday.
A previous tornado watch until 6 p.m. continues for most of the remainder of Arkansas and in northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Louisiana.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has already declared a state of emergency in anticipation of storms and flooding in parts southern Missouri.
The weather service says the storm system could also produce wind gusts up to 75 mph and hail up to two inches in diameter, or about the size of an egg.
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12:40 p.m.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of storms and flooding in parts southern Missouri.
Greitens signed the order Saturday as the National Weather Service issued flood warnings and watches for much of southeastern Missouri.
The order activates the resources of the Missouri National Guard and ensures that state resources are available in the event of weather damage.
Several roads in southern Missouri remained closed Saturday because of flooding, and more rain is anticipated Saturday overnight into Sunday.
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1:15 p.m.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of four states as potentially severe weather developed in the South and Plains states.
The watch is in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday for most of Arkansas and in northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Louisiana.
The weather service says the storm system could also produce wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour and hail up to two inches in diameter, or about the size of an egg.
Heavy rain and flooding is also possible and a levee breach along the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana has local officials urging about 30 homeowners to evacuate.
The weather service says record flooding was occurring along the Kankakee following several days of heavy rains and snowmelt that have sent streams out of their banks from the Ohio River to Michigan and Wisconsin.
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10:18 a.m.
A levee breach along the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana has local officials urging about 30 homeowners to evacuate.
Keener Township Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Woods says the breach was relatively minor when it was discovered about 3 p.m. Friday near Demotte, about 50 miles southeast of Chicago. He says some local residents tried to sandbag the breach “to get it under control, but it just got bigger and bigger.” Local firefighters were called out to help them, but eventually everyone had to pull out for their own safety.
No injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service says record flooding was occurring along the Kankakee following several days of heavy rains and snowmelt that have sent streams out of their banks from the Ohio River to Michigan and Wisconsin.
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