St. Louis • Several southern states braced for more severe weather Monday in the wake of storms, tornadoes and flooding that claimed 16 lives and left authorities in Arkansas searching for two children swept away by raging waters.
The outbreak that began Saturday over much of the U.S. Midwest and South included at least four tornadoes in Texas and severe flooding after more than a foot of rain fell in parts of Missouri. The storm even spawned a rare mid-spring snowstorm in Kansas.
It's not over yet. More flooding and tornadoes are possible as storms roll eastward in a band stretching from Alabama into the Ohio River valley. A wind advisory was in effect over much of the South. Parts of the Florida Panhandle could be affected by severe thunderstorms or high winds and dangerous rip currents.
In Missouri, docile creeks swelled to dangerous levels, and river levels jumped after the downpours. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency counted 143 water rescues statewide but acknowledged that countless others probably weren't reported. Hundreds of people were evacuated, a levee was topped in a rural area northwest of St. Louis, and a 57-mile stretch of Interstate 44 was closed.
The Mississippi River was well above flood stage at several points, including Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where it is expected to crest later this week within a half-foot of the all-time record of 48.9 feet.
Near Cape Girardeau, residents of tiny Allenville were urged to evacuate, but many did not, even as the town was surrounded by water. The only way in or out was by boat.
"The old-timers, they know how the river reacts," Cape Girardeau County emergency management director Richard Knaup said. "They're old swampers, let me tell you. They're good country folks. They'd sooner take care of themselves than depend on the government."
Hundreds of people spent Monday sandbagging Missouri towns along the Meramec River, just 16 months after record flooding along the suburban St. Louis waterway. Eureka police Sgt. David Sindel said 30 to 50 homes in his town are endangered, along with about a dozen businesses as the river is expected to reach within half-a-foot of the 2015 record.
"Unfortunately, it's Mother Nature and I guess there's not much we can do about it," Sindel said.
Flash floods in Missouri were blamed in the deaths of a 77-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman, whose husband desperately tried to save her before their car was swept away.
In Arkansas, six confirmed deaths didn't include the two missing children who were inside a truck with their mother on Saturday when the vehicle was swept off a bridge near Hindsville, about 130 miles northwest of Little Rock. Authorities were still searching but conceded it was now likely a recovery, not a rescue, operation.
The body of a kayaker was recovered Monday, a day after he'd gone missing near Little Rock. A fire chief in Arkansas died when he was struck by a vehicle while working the storm.
The mayor of the small town of Pocahontas, Arkansas, ordered an evacuation Monday as the Black River rose toward an expected record crest of 29.5 feet on Friday — a foot above the record set in 2011.
Four people died in tornadoes in Texas on Saturday. It might have been more if not for the heroics of several men who worked frantically in an area 50 miles from Dallas to pull a man and two young children from an overturned pickup in rushing water. Cellphone video showed a man holding the limp body of an infant. The man who shot the video, Tom Mitchell, told WFAA-TV that the infant was revived. The father and second child are recovering.
Two died in Mississippi: a 7-year-old boy electrocuted after unplugging an electric golf cart and dropping the cord in a puddle, and a man killed when a tree fell onto his house, knocking a beam into his head.
In Tennessee, a 2-year-old girl died after being struck by a soccer goal post thrown by heavy winds on Sunday.
In Illinois, prison inmates were helping with sandbagging in the towns of Murphysboro and Desoto.
In western Kansas, tens of thousands of people lost electricity after up to 20 inches of snow fell, accompanied by winds up to 60 mph. The storm briefly shut down Interstate 70, and National Guard teams were called out at least 40 times to rescue stranded motorists.
This photograph provided by the Warren County Emergency Management Agency shows what looks like a tornado that approached Vicksburg, Miss., Sunday, April 30, 2017. The tornado did not affect Vicksburg, but was part of system of severe weather that was statewide and caused tree damage, downed power lines and property damage. (Jerry Briggs/Warren County Fire Department via Warren County EMA via AP)
Floodwater from the Meramec River covers some athletic fields at Eureka High School on Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. During the January 2016 flood Meramec River floodwater encroached on the school's buildings and ruined the gym floor. School employees are sandbagging around the building to try and keep the water out this time. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Floodwater from the Meramec River covers some athletic fields at Eureka High School on Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. During the January 2016 flood Meramec River floodwater encroached on the school's buildings and ruined the gym floor. School employees are sandbagging around the building to try and keep the water out this time. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Jeff Kern and Jay Wilken with the Rockwood School District facilities department sandbag at Eureka High School as the Meramec River continues to rise on Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. During the January 2016 flood Meramec River floodwater encroached on the school's buildings and ruined the gym floor. School employees are sandbagging around the building to try and keep the water out this time. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Patrick Mahomes II smiles as he puts on a Kansas City Chiefs hat during an NFL football draft watch party in Tyler, Texas, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Texas Tech quarterback Mahomes was the 10th overall pick by the Chiefs, after a trade with the Buffalo Bills. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
People react as Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, at center in bottom row, was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 10 pick overall, during an NFL football draft watch party in Tyler, Texas, Thursday, April 27, 2017. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Ben Hagin carries a sandbag as other volunteers work to protect a building from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers use sandbags to protect a building from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers place sandbags to protect a building from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers use sandbags to protect a building from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers fill sandbags in an effort to protect buildings from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers fill sandbags in an effort to protect buildings from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers fill sandbags in an effort to protect buildings from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Volunteers place sandbags to protect buildings from potential floodwater Monday, May 1, 2017, in Eureka, Mo. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
One of Sunday's storms uprooted these two massive trees into this Durant, Miss., home, photographed Monday, May 1, 2017. Authorities speculate there might have been as many as 20 areas hit by strong winds Sunday, throughout the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Walter Coleman points at the remainder of a tree limb Monday, May 1, 2017, that crashed into his house the day before during a possible tornado in Durant, Miss. Coleman and his family had taken shelter in the living room Sunday when the limb crashed through the roof. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Dee Andre Johnson, 48, hauls off branches Monday, May 1, 2017, that fell on his neighbor's house Sunday morning, during a possible tornado that swept through Durant, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A bobcat moves a pile of sandbags to be stacked on South Central Avenue in Eureka, Mo., to protect businesses from the rising floodwater of the Meramec River on Monday, May 1, 2017. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Highway 141 is closed on Monday, May 1, 2017, at Interstate 44 in Valley Park, Mo., as water continues to rise and flood the intersection from the nearby Meramec River. Torrential rain caused Missouri waterways to burst their banks over the weekend forcing hundreds of road closures and causing people to take precautions against possible flooding. (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Mattie Coleman, laughs outside what remains of her combination flower shop, thrift store and laundromat facility Monday, May 1, 2017, in Durant, Miss., as she cleans up from a possible tornado hit on Sunday morning. Coleman, a former teacher and junior high school football coach, takes a philosophical approach to what to the "remodeling" she has before her. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A Holmes Community College basketball player tosses a cinderblock onto a pile outside the business of Mattie Coleman, a longtime supporter of the team, as several players and their coach came to assist with helping her cleanup damage from a possible Sunday tornado that swept through Durant, Miss., on Monday, May 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Holmes Community College basketball players take storm debris from the remnants of supporter Mattie Coleman's business and neighboring buildings to a haul away pile as they assist with helping her cleanup damage from a possible Sunday tornado that swept through Durant, Miss., on Monday, May 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A Greenwood Utilities lineman works on power lines in Durant, Miss., as cleanup continues from a possible Sunday tornado that swept through the rural community, on Monday, May 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A Holmes Community College basketball player tosses a cinderblock onto a pile outside the business of Mattie Coleman, a longtime supporter of the team, as several players and their coach came to assist with helping her cleanup damage from a possible Sunday tornado that swept through Durant, Miss., on Monday, May 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Kyle Allen walks his parents' property in Canton, Texas on Sunday, April 30, 2017, looking for personal items. Severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, killing several people, and leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Stephanie Quezada looks at the damage to the second floor of her father's church, Primera Iglesia Bautista, in Canton, Texas, Sunday, April 30, 2017. Severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, killing several and leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Fallen trees and debris cover the ground Sunday, April 30, 2017, in Canton, Texas. Deadly severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Debris lies on the ground Sunday, April 30, 2017, in Canton, Texas. Severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, killing several and leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Debris lies on the ground in Canton, Texas on Sunday, April 30, 2017. Severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, killing several people, and leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Debris lies on the ground Sunday April 30, 2017, in Canton, Texas. Severe storms including tornadoes swept through several small towns in East Texas, killing several and leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes, authorities said Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Chris Swallow, left, tosses a sandbag to Admir Nasufovic as hundreds of sandbaggers ranging from children to the elderly work fast to try and save businesses from floodwaters in the St. Louis suburb of Eureka, Mo., Monday, May 1, 2017. Torrential rains over the weekend caused flash flooding across Missouri, and as storm drains and fields continue to pour into rivers, they continue to rise. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jonathan Villar (5) scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 1, 2017, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Bill Cockrum, center, eats a sandwich as he surveys the damage to his shop, while his friends Glenda and Bill Cobb help pick up items and put shelves back together after storms went through the area, in Fruitvale, east of Dallas, Texas, Monday, May 1, 2017. The outbreak that began Saturday over much of the U.S. Midwest and South included a series of tornadoes in east Texas and severe flooding after more than a foot of rain fell in parts of Missouri. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
A damaged car sits in a field after it was blown away from a dealership nearby following a series of storms Saturday in Canton, east of Dallas, Texas, Monday, May 1, 2017. The outbreak that began Saturday over much of the U.S. Midwest and South included a series of tornadoes in east Texas and severe flooding after more than a foot of rain fell in parts of Missouri. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Damaged vehicles sit in a dealership lot near Interstate-20 in Canton, east of Dallas, Texas, Monday, May 1, 2017. The outbreak that began Saturday over much of the U.S. Midwest and South included a series of tornadoes in east Texas and severe flooding after more than a foot of rain fell in parts of Missouri. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
Chelsea MacDonald sweeps the bathroom of Edward and Mary Dougherty's home as they work to clean up after storms in Emory, east of Dallas, Texas, Monday, May 1, 2017. The outbreak that began Saturday over much of the U.S. Midwest and South included a series of tornadoes in east Texas and severe flooding after more than a foot of rain fell in parts of Missouri. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP)
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