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Powerful storms could continue throughout the central U.S.
Flood, tornado and thunderstorm warnings are in place for several states
Flash flood emergencies are currently in effect for much of southeast Texas after it received over 16 inches of rain yesterday.
Dozens of people had to be rescued after they became trapped in cars and flooded homes. Some individuals attempting to watch the flooding had to be rescued, the National Weather Service said.
Radar currently shows a heavy downpour of rain moving through the area, continuing a week of a dark and stormy weather over a swath of the Plains. The streak of heavy thunderstorms, hail, flooding and tornadoes began Monday.
Thunderstorms have affected parts of Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska, closing down roads and leaving residents stranded.
“We’ve probably had well over 100 rescues of people from cars,” said Darren Hess, deputy emergency management coordinator for Montgomery County in Texas. More rain is expected in the area, but so far there are no reports of injuries, he said.
Nearby Brenham County schools canceled all classes for Friday due to heavy rains and just further north, a “low grade” tornado ripped through parts of Brazos County about 12:30 p.m. Thursday. No one has been reported injured, but several buildings suffered roof damage and trees were uprooted, according to the county’s emergency management office.
Airports interrupted
The stormy weather disrupted at least two airports. On Thursday, passengers evacuated Kansas City International Airport due to a tornado warning.
David Enarson was traveling home to Chicago storms hit. He said people were calm and they were evacuated to tunnels for about 35 to 40 minutes. The airport’s marketing manager tweeted that people were in garage tunnels to keep safe.
After they were given the all-clear, the security line was long as passengers headed back to board their flights, said Enarson.
In another disruption, Denver International Airport had a ground stop on flights after a thunderstorm. The runways had to be cleared of hail before air traffic could get moving again.
Damage from this week’s storms
Earlier storms left significant damage – especially in Dickinson County, Kansas. A Wednesday storm destroyed at least 28 homes, according to Kansas Adjutant General’s Department. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, according to the release.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback visited the area Thursday and took an aerial view at the impact of the tornado that spanned roughly a quarter of a mile. Photos showed mangled trees, flattened houses and farmhouses shredded into paper-like pieces.
But the weather may not let up for the county, as more storms have been predicted into Saturday.
On Tuesday, another tornado struck Chapman, Kansas, and stayed on the ground for about 90 minutes, injuring people and destroying 15 to 20 homes, according to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. That was one of 12 twisters that occurred, he said.
Several people in Ford County, Kansas, reportedly were hurt in Tuesday’s storms, said Andrew White, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.
CNN’s Joshua Berlinger and Steve Almasy contributed to this report