Clarksville received 10 inches of rain after severe weather threats of tornado and thunderstorms left flood warnings and rivers passed flood stages

In 2011, water rose so rapidly that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had to blast a hole in levees along Mississippi River farmland in rural southern Missouri in a last-ditch effort to avoid an uncontrolled breach of the levees further downstream in Memphis, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.

Parts of the central U.S. still inundated with floodwaters could see large hail and high winds on Thursday, possibly complicating recovery efforts.

Flood alerts remain in effect across Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Arkansas after days of devastating storms brought catastrophic rain and tornadoes to the central US. Major flooding is expected to continue through the week.