Catastrophic Flooding Hits Central Tennessee

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23 Aug 2021 7:10 PM
A complex of torrential rain and thunderstorms unloaded on portions of West Central Tennessee and Southwestern Kentucky on Saturday. As much as 9 inches of rain fell during a 6 hour time span, with as much as 11 inches in some isolated areas, and possibly one report of over 17" (this particular report is under investigation by the National Weather Service to verify its accuracy). All of that rain led to multiple water rescues, homes being carried off their foundations, and tragically is responsible for taking the lives of at least 22 individuals. Drone footage from our field correspondent shows the chaos all of this has left in the town of Waverly. It looks more like tornado damage as opposed to a flooding event. https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1429745232753614853 https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1429126400234110980 The National Weather Service in Nashville called the situation, "catastrophic." https://twitter.com/NWSNashville/status/1429104198113705996 The flooding led to the closure of I-40 near mile marker 153, in addition to the Piney River in Vernon topping it's historical crest by more than 10 feet. [embed]https://twitter.com/NWSNashville/status/1429118952697892868[/embed] Less rain is expected across central Tennessee in the coming days, allowing time to clean up and for search & recovery efforts.
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