Flash flooding, heavy rainfall and tornadoes have forced election officials in three different regions across the United States to move polling locations, scrambling Election Day plans in hot-button races.At least seventeen polling locations were moved in five Florida counties — including Brevard County, Indian River County, St.
Lucie County, Martin County and Palm Beach County — after intense rainfall caused flash floods on Monday and into Tuesday morning.Roads were impassable in several parts of the state’s Atlantic coast after a storm dumped as much as 22 inches of rain in 24 hours in a storm that “exceeded everyone’s expectations,” as one forecaster put it.Severe storms were moving across Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight on Tuesday.
Forecasters issued a tornado watch that lasted until about 2:45 a.m.local time on Tuesday.
Forecasters were also predicting possible flash flooding in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday, as that storm system continued to travel east.A flood watch remained in effect in some parts of Florida, though rainfall rates were slowing.
“Areas affected by catastrophic flooding remain extremely sensitive to any additional rainfall,” forecasters wrote in a Tuesday morning forecast discussion.In Oklahoma, a tornado on Sunday forced Cimarron County officials to change one of its polling locations.
The tornado, which had peak winds of about 100 mph, snapped tree branches, damaged the roof of the Keyes Community Center and collapsed a wall, according to a damage survey report from the National Weather Service.In an emergency request, county election officials said the tornado caused “considerable structural damage” to the community center “rendering the polling location unsafe.” And after historic flooding in the Four Corners region, Utah Lt.
Gov.Deidre M.
Henderson declared a state of emergency and issued a special accommodation that will allow voters registered in San Juan County w...