Weather forecast says more 'life-threatening' floods possible in parts of South

Heavy rain and thunderstorms will continue across east Texas and parts of the Southeast Thursday, possibly leading to more flash flooding across the region. Widespread flooding has already been reported, particularly on roads, since late Tuesday from Texas to portions of the lower Mississippi Valley, Weather.com said.

Some of those thunderstorms will have the potential to become severe Thursday across the Gulf states and Southeast, where tornadoes are also possible, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Scattered to widespread heavy rain will be the main hazard from the system on Thursday and throughout the next few days, forecasters said. "Rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue across the southern tier of the country through the weekend," said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.

'Life-threatening' floods possible

Heavy showers and thunderstorms Wednesday night drove flash flooding in numerous areas of the central Gulf Coast states, where life-threatening floods remained possible on Thursday.

Flood warnings went into effect in parts of Tennessee that were set to lift Thursday afternoon. The weather service warned that some areas of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina could see four inches of rainfall over the next five days.

Meanwhile the western U.S. grapples with widespread low-elevation rain and mountain snow through Thursday thanks to a cold front.

Flooding kills Texas man

In Trinity County, Texas, Sheriff Woody Wallace posted on Facebook that 74-year-old Roy Beauchamp, of Corrigan, Texas, died on Wednesday night after trying to return to his flooded vehicle to retrieve some items. The Sheriff's office had received a 911 call that multiple cars were in high water. According to Wallace's post, after several agencies joined the search, Beauchamp's body was recovered in swift water around midnight.

Several mourners on the post offered their recollections of Beauchamp, calling him "a wonderful man" and "one of the best of men."

Nearly three dozen rivers are flooding in a region roughly between San Antonio and Beaumont, including at least 14 with either moderate or major flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms by the numbers

• More than six inches of rain fell over 24 hours in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, flooding roads and businesses, the weather service reported.

• In Mandeville, Louisiana, between 4.5-6.5 inches of water was reported, causing “significant flooding” on roads.

• In the Houston area, flooding is occurring along the Navidad River, the west fork of the San Jacinto River and the Trinity River, where the water could reach within about two feet of its record, set in September 2017.

Dense fog advisory covers much of Midwest, South

Conditions from a dense fog that descended over the Midwest on Wednesday as some areas braced for freezing rain will continue through Thursday.

More than 90 million people were under a dense fog advisory Thursday morning, with NWS notices stretching from central Pennsylvania to North Dakota and as far south as New Orleans.

Dense fog can lower visibility to a quarter-mile or less, which can hamper travel and increase hazards when driving.

"Take extra caution when on the road," the weather service warned.

Excessive rainfall possible in Mississippi

A swath of Mississippi and part of Louisiana could see up to four inches of additional rain with the possibility of flash flooding as wet weather continues into Thursday.

Flash flooding caused by "excessive rainfall" is possible throughout Central Mississippi through Thursday afternoon, the NWS warned.

Louisiana weather map

US weather watches and warnings

National weather radar

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Dinah Voyles Pulver

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US weather forecast: Where are Heavy rain and thunderstorms expected?