NWS: Potential of historic, widespread, catastrophic and nonstop heavy rainfall threatens the central US through Sunday.

[Tonk]

A barrage of cyclonic storms breaks out in the Mississippi River Valley. The projected twisters have begun, or a watch has been issued in multiple states. In a rare move, the National Weather Service has issued a Level 5 warning that an outbreak of numerous tornadoes of slow-moving F3 wind storms, high winds, and large hail is expected. The Level Five is ongoing in Oklahoma and Kansas. Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. That is just one aspect of a massive storm system that will expand into areas of the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys overnight, bringing four months of rain.

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FishOutofWater blogger at Daily Kos and the Arctic Sea Ice Forum writes:

Unfortunately, the areas at highest risk of devastating storms today and tonight will not get relief from bad weather until Sunday (or so) because of a blocked jet stream pattern. A massive dome of warm sinking air has developed over the southeastern states extending offshore towards Bermuda. This jet stream pattern will cause the cold front to stall and heavy rains over the Mississippi river and lower Ohio river valleys to come in waves into the early weekend. There is a high probability of flash floods, followed by major river flooding developing into the weekend. Recovery from today’s and tonight’s tornado damage will be very challenging in this situation.
snip
A catastrophic weather pattern is developing for the middle Mississippi to lower Ohio river valleys. Extreme low level southerly winds are driving warm humid air from the Caribbean across the western Gulf of Mexico into the Mississippi river valley while a strong southwesterly jet stream aloft is overrunning that unstable humid air with cold dry air. Extreme low level spin called helicity has developed ahead of the cold frontal boundary creating the potential for intense
tornadoes. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare level 5 highest level warming for severe storms.

From USA Today:

But this is just the start of a daylong rain event rain that could be disastrous, experts warn, using words such as "catastrophic," "generational," and "life-threatening" to describe the forecast. Parts of the mid-South, including areas of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, could see upwards of 15 inches of rain by Sunday.

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It does not appear that western North Carolina, which is recovering from Hurricane Helene, will be impacted. However, Memphis is in dire danger:

The National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee, issued a dire warning to residents in the path of the major spring storm, urging them to prepare for major flooding and widespread travel disruptions.

"This isn’t routine. This is a rare, high-impact, and potentially devastating event," the statement said. "Heavy rainfall will likely lead to widespread river, flash, and areal flooding that could cause severe disruptions especially along and north of I-40."

FEMA

[link:‘We’re not preparing’: As Trump officials vow to eliminate FEMA, the agency is already in turmoil|‘We’re not preparing’: As Trump officials vow to eliminate FEMA, the agency is already in turmoil]

Who at FEMA will get the ax?

Last week, FEMA employees received an email titled “Hiring Update,” which outlined a new process, effective immediately, requiring that the majority of the agency’s workers, many of whom hold 2-to-4-year term positions, be directly approved by Secretary Noem’s team in order to be renewed for another term.
The positions mentioned in the memo, obtained by CNN, include most of the public-facing roles that help deliver assistance to communities during disaster response and recovery. They hold a wide range of responsibilities, such as verifying disaster damage, operating recovery centers and helping victims register for aid.

“It’s practically everybody that goes out in the field,” a FEMA official said. “They are the backbone of the response, particularly in sustaining operations.”