Line of storms threaten large swath across US

Severe weather will again unleash on a large stretch of the United States from Texas through the Midwest, Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast on May 1, forecasters said.

The south-central part of the country, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, has endured days on end of dangerous weather, including tornadoes and flooding that killed two in Oklahoma. The National Weather Service said forward motion of the weather system that stalled over the region would spell a brief reprieve for the region during the day before storms redevelop later in the evening through May 2.

Meanwhile, the storm system will refocus on the Mid-Mississippi Valley and the Midwest and reach the Great Lakes by night, the weather service said. States in the Mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, stretching all the way into parts of Pennsylvania and western New York, could see thunderstorms, damaging winds, hail and a possible isolated tornado, the weather service said.

Disruptions to travel as storms approach highways and airports are expected, while hail in some areas could be large enough to damage vehicles, AccuWeather reported.

Flooding remains a risk in south-central US

Flood warnings abounded in saturated areas of north Texas and Oklahoma, where heavy rainfall has already led to catastrophic flooding in recent days. More than 3 million people were under flood warnings there, with another over 1.7 million with flood watches.

The areas surrounding the banks of the Mississippi River also continue to be under flood warnings and advisories. The river is now surging from runoff brought by historic rainfall in early April, AccuWeather reported.

At least 5 dead in deadly storms in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania

At least five people were killed in the back-to-back severe weather that swept much of the nation in late April, according to authorities and news reports.

In Pennsylvania, where tornado-strength winds ripped through on April 29, Pittsburgh Public Safety said an unidentified male was pronounced dead after being electrocuted by live wires during the storm. In State College over 100 miles away, police said a 22-year-old man also died after coming in contact with an electric current in the storm while trying to put out a mulch fire. A third person, 67-year-old Raymond Gordon, died in Pennsylvania when a falling tree hit him in Ross Township, WTAE reported.

At least two people died in widespread Oklahoma flooding during the severe weather on April 30.

In Pottawatomie County, southeast of Oklahoma City, Sheriff Freeland Wood said a man drowned after his vehicle was swept off a roadway near an “area that is all too familiar with the dangers of high water.” A deputy tried to rescue the man but was caught in a current and had to be treated at a hospital, Wood said in a statement on Facebook.

Another drowning death was reported in Lincoln County, which is just north of Pottawatomie County, according to KOCO-TV. The person died after being caught in floodwaters, Oklahoma Highway Patrol told the television station.