MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Tropical Depression Harvey soaked parts of Tennessee and neighboring 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 Friday.
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 10 inches (250 millimeters) of rain though forecasts called for most areas to get between 4 and 8 inches (100-200 millimeters).
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.