Harvey slogs inland, dumping heavy rain

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tropical Depression Harvey soaked parts of Tennessee and neighbouring states with heavy rain Thursday, causing scattered street flooding as rivers swelled and power outages struck Memphis. An apparent twister damaged several homes in northwest Alabama as remnants of the once-fierce hurricane trekked further inland from the Gulf Coast, authorities said.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood alerts for much of West Tennessee as the still-potent storm slogged into the nation’s interior after its catastrophic drenching of parts of Texas and Louisiana. The forecasts called for heavy rains spreading from the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys into the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians through today.

Flood warnings were in effect along or near several rivers in West Tennessee, including two leading tributaries of the Mississippi River. Flash flood watches and warnings also stretched into Middle Tennessee. Forecasters said some spots in Tennessee could get more than (250 millimetres of rain though forecasts called for most areas to get between 100-200 mm.

Remnants of the hurricane also were expected to spread rain into parts of Kentucky and West Virginia after moving through Tennessee on Friday.

Authorities said Harvey’s remnants contributed to the death of a motorist involved in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 in Memphis on Thursday. The motorist’s name was not immediately released. Police couldn’t immediately be reached for more details.

Mre than 19,000 customers were without power in Memphis on Thursday evening, according to the utility Memphis, Light, Gas & Water. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency was monitoring the storm, ready to deploy staff and resources. Anticipating stormy weather in Memphis, crews had cleaned debris from storm drains and residents were asked to clear gutters at their homes.

In northwest Alabama, an apparent tornado damaged several homes in the city of Reform and minor injuries were reported, local reports said. Jason Holmes, a meteorologist with The National Weather Service in Birmingham, said Thursday that the damage in Reform appeared to be caused by a likely tornado.

The National Weather Service had issued multiple tornado warnings on Thursday afternoon in the region. The Weather Service said there was an elevated risk of tornados into the night as Harvey’s remnants headed northeast.

Sirens sounded tornado warnings in Memphis, but no touchdowns by twisters were reported.