A 64-year-old woman died in East Tennessee after floodwater swept her away near her home as a storm system continued to dump rain across the region.
Officials across the United States warn that fast-rising water can turn deadly within minutes.
In Cocke County, the woman was outside Thursday and near a vehicle when strong, fast-moving floodwater carried her downstream, Fox Weather reported. First responders later recovered her body from the water.
Cocke County Sheriff C.J. Ball identified the woman as Teresa Diane Young and said she was pronounced dead after emergency personnel responded, per WJHL. Persistent rain and flooding had prompted flash flood warnings early Thursday in Cocke and neighboring Greene counties.
"It came in so fast," Ball said. "We've got residents that have been washed [away], vehicles, outbuildings, farmland, and people's personal vehicles."
The Tennessee Department of Transportation closed State Route 160 after floodwater poured over the road.
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The flash flood threat stretched across the Southeast and affected more than 50 million people through Friday morning, per Fox Weather.
Forecasters and local agencies continued issuing warnings as more rain and thunderstorms were expected into Friday night.
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