A weather system that has already caused flooding in parts of New Orleans could strengthen into a weak hurricane this weekend, the National Weather Service warned. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared states of emergency on Wednesday after 8 inches of rain fell in three hours. A hurricane watch was in effect Thursday for most of the Louisiana coast.

A crane crashed into a Dallas apartment building Sunday, killing one woman and injuring at least five other people, after a storm with strong winds hit the city. Two of the injured residents from the Elan City Lights apartments are in critical condition. The collapse occurred on a day in which a storm brought winds gusting up to 70 mph, felling trees and knocking out power in parts of the city. The ultimate cause of the collapse was unknown, but there was a “strong possibility” that the winds “played some role,” Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said.

The Arkansas River breached a levee early Friday, prompting a flash flood warning after nearby Holla Bend, Ark., was evacuated the day before. Hundreds of people were in temporary shelters on Thursday along the swollen river as crews went door to door encouraging people to evacuate ahead of the breach. Other levees in the state appeared to be holding up under historic flood levels, according to Col. Bob Dixon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “My concern is, they are designed for a temporary load and they are holding a lot more water than they have been tested on before,” he said.

The Arkansas River remained at record levels Thursday morning, threatening levees and causing historic flooding. Hundreds of homes faced likely flooding, according to officials in Fort Smith, Ark., and a nearby levee in Van Buren was beginning to deteriorate. The river will likely remain at extraordinary levels in western Arkansas for several days, according to the National Weather Service. The flooding has been blamed for at least one death in Arkansas. Residents have voluntarily evacuated more than 400 homes in the state, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday.

The recent bout of severe weather in the Midwest doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, with a vicious storm on Tuesday spawning several tornadoes in the Kansas City area. Following a violent tornado in Lawrence, Kan., at least a dozen people were hospitalized, hospital spokeswoman Janice Early said. The storms also damaged the surrounding towns of Bonner Springs, Kan., and Pleasant Grove, Kan. The Kansas City International Airport temporarily suspended flights and moved people into parking garage tunnels for shelter.

Some 52 tornadoes may have touched down Monday across eight states, according to a preliminary storm report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A spate of tornadoes ripped across Indiana and Ohio overnight, packed so closely that one crossed the path carved by another. At least half a dozen communities sustained severe damage, but there were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.

More deadly tornadoes hit the Southern Plains on Sunday, leaving destruction in their paths. The first twister struck near Oklahoma City, where it leveled a Budget Inn motel and tore through a mobile home park, killing at least two people and injuring 29 others.

El Reno, Okla., Mayor Matt White said aside from the deaths and injuries, the tornado left heartbreaking destruction in its wake. “Pray for the families,” he said. “People have absolutely lost everything. You’re not going to believe the devastation.”