Flash flooding has killed at least one person and prompted evacuations, road closures, school closings and rescues in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma as storms trek across the Midwest and southern Plains.
The severe weather may also be responsible for a fire that broke out at a natural gas refinery in Columbia County, Arkansas, Wednesday evening. KSLA News reported the fire was caused by a lightning strike. A dispatcher for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office told weather.com that firefighters were on the scene but no other information was available. A portion of US Highway 371 was reportedly closed as they battled the blaze.
NEW: More pictures of that fire at a natural gas refinery plant in Columbia County, AR. (photo credit: Wendy Peterson). pic.twitter.com/GgrnZ5k7Za
— KSLA News 12 (@KSLA) May 8, 2019
Earlier on Wednesday, the body of a man washed away by high water was found in Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, the Austin-Travis County Emergency Management Service tweeted Wednesday afternoon. No further details were reported.
In Houston, dozens of abandoned cars were towed Wednesday after flash flooding stranded motorists. Water rescues continued in parts of Texas Wednesday morning, including a reported rescue in Mertzon, Texas, about 30 miles southwest of San Angelo.
High water rescues were also underway early Wednesday in the southwest Fort Worth, Texas, area as heavy rain from storms pummeled the region.
More than 78,000 homes and business were without power Wednesday evening in eastern Texas, according to poweroutage.us.
A tornado was reported near College Station, Texas, where the Southeastern Conference NCAA Softball Championships were taking place. Play was halted and teams took shelter inside.
Read the rest here: https://weather.com/news/news/2019-05-07-storms-flash-flooding-tornadoes-impacts