NEW ORLEANS (CN) — Intense storms moved across the South on Wednesday, unleashing tornadoes in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and closing schools and government offices around New Orleans as a flash flood emergency was declared.
In New Orleans, streets and yards flooded the city over. Cars were parked along medians and sidewalks on higher ground after residents Wednesday morning scurried outside their homes between heavy bouts of rain to move them and clear gutters amid concerns of flash-flooding.
In Broadmoor, a neighborhood that frequently floods during storms, water from the heavy rain came up to doorsteps on raised houses, entering street level homes and deluging yards and garages.
About 100,000 Louisianans were without power during early afternoon.
By 2 p.m., rains around New Orleans had stopped long enough for water to begin to drain, but the severe weather and rain started back again shortly before 3 p.m.
Numerous flash flood warnings the region over were in effect Wednesday, reaching from Dallas to New Orleans and farther east. Some roads in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi had closed due to high water.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Center said it was keeping an eye on a cluster of storms that were expected to move across the region through the mid- to late afternoon.
The agency said many roads in the New Orleans area were submerged in water and unpassable, with more heavy rain potentially still on the way. A tornado warning for the area was extended through 4 p.m., as conditions remained favorable for tornado development.
A tornado touched down in Lake Charles Wednesday afternoon with winds as high as 110 miles per hour, ripping off roofs and damaging buildings. No injuries or fatalities had been reported.
Tornado threats remained high throughout the whole region Wednesday, with tornado watches in effect across Southeast Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Southwest Georgia.
In Slidell, a suburb of New Orleans to the southeast, up to four tornadoes reportedly ripped through early in the day Wednesday, causing severe damage to buildings and streets and causing injuries to people. No fatalities had been reported.
Severe storms also caused property damage in Mississippi Wednesday and a tornado was reported in southeast Texas.
Severe weather was expected to continue to track east toward Florida and on into Georgia.
The New Orleans area is expected to be dry Thursday.
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