Severe storms, flash flooding and extreme heat are battering parts of the Plains, Midwest and the South this weekend, threatening to disrupt World Cup fans, athletes and holiday travelers alike.Flood alerts remain in effect for around 20 million people across the central and southern parts of the country. In the South, including in eastern Texas, Louisiana, southern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur continue to sweep through the region.The National Weather Service said a “flash flood threat” remained through the evening for the Gulf Coast, from Galveston, Texas, to the Florida panhandle. Rain was recorded along the entirety of the coast on Saturday, as well as in parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, according to weather service data.AdvertisementAdvertisementVideo taken from Vestavia Hills, a community in central Alabama, showed brown floodwater inundating local streets amid the roar of rain.Preliminary rainfall totals in Louisiana on Friday may have set a new state record. The existing record stands at 22 inches of precipitation in 24 hours; an estimated 29 inches fell in Cottonport during that same window on Friday, with preliminary measurements of 22 inches recorded in Plaucheville and 17 inches in Simmesport near the Atchafalaya River.Additional heavy rain this weekend in parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — already waterlogged from Thursday and Friday’s storms — could trigger further flash flooding, according to the weather service. The agency cautioned that “the very moist airmass in place and saturated soils from the last week mean that locally significant flash flooding is a possibility if a storm sits over one place for too long.”Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Saturday that an estimated 4,000 utility customers were without power.AdvertisementAdvertisement“The State of Mississippi continues coo …
