Flash floods brought further destruction to several states across the South and Midwest days after tornadoes ripped through the area. 

Relentless rain inundated communities through the weekend, with Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas hit with the worst of the damage. 

Memphis was washed out with almost an entire spring’s worth of rain in two days, and on Saturday over a dozen daily rainfall records were set in Arkansas and Tennessee, per CNN. 

Millions of Americans were under flash flood warnings on Monday, after over a foot of rain was dumped across the mid-South since Wednesday. 

Officials warned that rising water levels on the Kentucky River could bring more severe flooding in the coming days, with local restaurant owner Wendy Quire in Frankfort, Kentucky saying she was stunned by how rapidly the situation deteriorated over the weekend. 

‘As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,’ she told the Associated Press. 

John Ward, sheriff of nearby Hardin County, added: ‘I’ve seen homes underwater that have never had water. I don’t think people were ready.’ 

The severe rainfall was brought by storms that also produced tornadoes that tore through central US in recent days and killed at least 18 people. 

Flash floods brought further destruction to several states across the South and Midwest days after tornadoes ripped through communities, seen on Sunday in Frankfort, Kentucky 

The flash flood warnings come after at least 18 people died over the weekend as tornadoes tore through multiple states. Damage from a tornado is pictured Thursday in Paducah, Kentucky 

Among the fatalities from the tornadoes were a boy, 5, found in a storm-battered home in Arkansas; a nine-year-old boy named Gabriel Andrews who was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his bus stop in Kentucky; and a 74-year-old who was found dead in a fully-submerged vehicle in Nelson County. 

A 16-year-old volunteer firefighter in Missouri also died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm, and in Tennessee, a Carroll County Electric Department lineman died on the job. 

At least 10 people died in Tennessee from storm-related deaths in recent days, with officials warning the death tolls could rise as flooding continues into the week. 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday that emergency services were still searching for victims in his state, and cautioned that the true extent of the damage remains to be seen. 

‘Remember, this event is not over until the waters have receded, until the areas that have flooded are fully dry, until we don’t have saturated ground that could create mudslides over roads and bridges,’ he said. 

Much of Kentucky was hit with evacuation and flood risk warnings into the week, with communities near the Kentucky River witnessing water levels not seen since devastating floods in 1978. 

‘I’ve heard tales about 1978,’ Frankfort resident Karen Kuhner told CNN affiliate WKYT. ‘I wasn’t here then and my heart just goes out to all of the people that aren’t able to leave and whose homes are more than likely going to be destroyed.’ 

Thomas Fenwick, 42, and Jo Rodriguez, 33, embrace as their neighborhood floods on Sunday in Frankfort, Kentucky

Officials warned water levels from the Kentucky River may continue to rise into the week, with one local resident describing the flood damage as the ‘worst I’ve ever seen it’ 

Dozens of tornadoes were spawned from the storms that brought record-levels of rainfall 

The highest-risk zone for wild weather now extends from northern Georgia to eastern Louisiana, and includes cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Mobile and New Orleans.

A tornado watch is also in effect for southern and eastern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and western and northern Georgia – affecting 8 million people. 

Throughout the Midwest, upwards of 100,000 people were left without power over the weekend, while almost 8,000 flights were delayed by the severe weather. 

Major highways were also left impassible in Kentucky and Tennessee due to the rising water levels, including sections of Interstate-40 in Memphis and Interstate-69 in Kentucky. 

For many, as the rain kept falling, there was a sense of dread that the worst was still to come.

‘This flooding is an act of God,’ said Kevin Gordon, a front desk clerk at the Ashbrook Hotel in downtown Frankfort. 

Structural damage is visible at Christ Community Church after a tornado struck on Thursday

Storm-damaged homes and broken trees are seen Thursday in Selmer, Tennessee

Excessive rainfall flooded parts of Casey County, Kentucky, seen on Saturday 

The National Weather Service previously said on Sunday dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a ‘major flood stage,’ with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.

It said on Sunday there is still some threat for heavy rainfall and flash flooding for portions of the Southeast and the Gulf Coast region going through this evening and overnight.’

Communities in areas affected by flooding ‘should prepare for possible long duration and severe disruptions to daily life,’ with 10 to 15 inches of rain expected.