Severe flooding across Kentucky has left two people dead and forced the closure of more than 500 roads, Governor Andy Beshear announced Sunday, as deadly storms continue to wreak havoc across the southern and midwestern United States.

“We are experiencing historic flooding across Kentucky,” Beshear posted on X (formerly Twitter). “More than 500 roads are impassable, and rivers haven’t yet reached their peak. We still face at least another day of rising water levels. Tragically, we’ve already lost two lives.”

One of the victims was a 9-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop Friday morning in Frankfort, the state’s capital, local police reported.

Beshear noted that numerous evacuations had taken place and water supplies were limited in Frankfort. He also announced that all state government offices in the city would remain closed Monday due to ongoing hazards.

Over the past week, a sprawling spring storm system has unleashed tornadoes and torrential rain across a wide stretch of the U.S., from Texas to Ohio. Tennessee has borne the brunt of the devastation, reporting 10 fatalities, according to its health department. In addition to the deaths in Kentucky, there have been reports of two storm-related deaths in Missouri and one each in Arkansas, Indiana, and Mississippi.

Experts warn that climate change is intensifying rainfall and flood risk nationwide, with regions such as the Upper Midwest and the Ohio River Valley especially vulnerable, according to research from Climate Central, an independent climate science organization.