Record rainfall inundates large swaths of the U.S. Midwest, hundreds of floods reported

Parts of the U.S. Midwest — including Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee and Ohio — experienced their heaviest single-day rainfall on record, triggering floods at hundreds of locations and placing more than 36 million people under flood warnings.

Authorities reported widespread power outages and emergency declarations as storms swept the region. The governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, declared a state of emergency after roughly 250,000 people in his state and in Illinois lost electricity during the storm.

Rising rivers, continuing risk

Meteorologists warned that the situation could deteriorate further: river levels are rising across the Midwest and in some places those levels could challenge or surpass historical records, prolonging flood risk for communities downstream.

Ohio officials recorded 277 separate flooding incidents since Monday, after severe storms and tornadoes moved through the region. Local authorities declared emergencies in seven counties or jurisdictions because of flood impacts.

At least three fatalities have been linked to the severe weather: two deaths in Ohio and one in Indiana. In Cambridge City, Indiana, residents were evacuated by boat when floodwaters submerged streets and reached roofs on some homes.

Emergency managers across the affected states urged residents to follow evacuation orders, avoid driving through flooded roadways and monitor local alerts as crews work to restore power and assess damage.

Photo: press material from the event