Hurricane-fueled storms trigger urgent warnings for millions in 11 US states

Millions of Americans have been warned that dangerous storms fueled by Hurricane Simon are expected to cause life-threatening conditions within hours. Torrential downpours, dangerous wind gusts up to 70mph, large hailstones, severe lightning storms and flooding have been forecasted to sweep across as many as 11 states between Wednesday morning and Thursday night. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued flash flood warnings to over one million people in the Oklahoma City area starting Wednesday morning, urging residents to stay off roads as up to eight inches of rain are expected to fall across the South. Flood watches have also been issued in Texas , Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday, and NWS expected severe thunderstorms and flooding to impact Arkansas , Illinois , Indiana, Kentucky , Ohio , Tennessee and West Virginia as well. Forecasters warned that the worst of the storms would hit a large swath of Texas and Oklahoma Wednesday night, around 9pm local time. AccuWeather has warned residents throughout the region to expect travel delays due to the widespread thunderstorms. They added that the storms were being fueled by moisture from Hurricane Simon, which struck Mexico's Pacific Coast this week, which has combined with a surge of tropical moisture from the Gulf of America to produce a massive rainstorm over the US. AccuWeather Meteorologist Jack Wojczynski said in a statement: 'Very heavy rainfall rates can cause low visibility and disrupt travel. Heavy rain can disrupt the Wednesday and Thursday evening commute. A few thunderstorms may become severe across the region.' Severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings have been issued throughout several states on October 14, 2026 The National Weather Service issued an urgent flash flood warning to over one million people near Oklahoma City Wednesday morning The Oklahoma City Fire Department said that they have already responded to reports of downed power lines and a possible drowning as the heavy rains move in. A body was not found Wednesday morning, but emergency crews were seen rescuing other drivers who had driven into floodwaters in northeast Oklahoma City. The department posted on social media : 'Please slow down, allow extra stopping distance and never drive into flooded roadways. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!' NWS added: 'In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.' Although flooding and downpours could strand and possibly endanger drivers, AccuWeather warned that the worst wind gusts on Wednesday could reach 80mph - the same as a Category 1 hurricane. Severe thunderstorms are expected to impact millions from Lubbock, Texas in the South all the way to Cincinnati, Ohio in the Upper Midwest. The storms are also expected to spread rain showers and cause localized flooding in Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia on Wednesday - with more storms and flooding forecasted for Thursday. 'By Thursday night, a large swath of 2-4 inches of rain is forecast from western Texas into central Illinois, with a corridor of 4-8 inches from northwestern Texas through central Oklahoma into Missouri,' Wojczynski added in a statement . NWS officials have urged residents in affected areas to stay off the road and avoid any flooded streets (Stock Image) The storm has been fueled by Hurricane Simon, which struck the Mexican coast this week The worst thunderstorms on Thursday are expected to sweep over a narrow corridor of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Damaging wind gusts up to 65mph are expected, along with more flooding and the possibility of dangerous lightning strikes. The storm is also expected to lead to a major cooldown across the Central US, with temperatures plummeting by up to 30 degrees by the end of the week. AccuWeather has predicted that, as the storm moves east heading into the weekend, high pressure will replace the massive low-pressure rainstorm in states such as Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. In those states, daily highs are expected to fall from the 80s and 90s to the 60s.