Tropical Depression Cristobal Could Bring Flash Flooding, Tornadoes Across the U.S. (Video)

Tropical Depression Cristobal is expected to hit large swaths of the South and Midwest with strong winds, lots of rain, and even possible tornadoes, according to reports.

The storm, which was sitting over Louisiana on Monday morning, is expected to move across the lower Mississippi Valley before heading up to the Midwest on Tuesday, The Weather Channel reported.

Cristobal’s low pressure will push it north and it will eventually be absorbed by another system in southeastern Canada on Wednesday.

Monday morning was marked by strong winds with gusts of up to 41 mph recorded in Jackson, Miss., The Weather Channel noted.

Flash flooding is possible, especially over parts of the Gulf Coast through the Mississippi River valley, CNN reported, citing the National Hurricane Center. The next 24 hours pose the greatest threats for flash floods, and some areas could see up to 15 inches of rain.

"Inland flooding has resulted in more deaths in the past 30 years from hurricanes and tropical storms in the US than any other threat,” CNN Meteorologist, Brandon Miller, said. “Though wind speeds and storm surge are important, and get a lot of the headlines, flash flooding from intense rainfall associated with the storm's rainbands impact for more people and stretch over a much larger area.”

On Tuesday, umbrellas will likely be a common sight as Cristobal was forecasted to bring heavy rain from Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to southeastern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

When it comes to the potential for tornadoes, The Weather Channel noted the greatest threat is over Mississippi and western Alabama into western Tennessee, northeast Arkansas, and southeast Missouri, spurred on by humid air and moderate wind shear.

As the storm moves toward Canada, Cristobal’s winds will increase — with gusts potentially as high as 50 mph — but it won’t be considered “tropical” anymore.

“So while Cristobal will no longer be a tropical storm, it will still be a formidable one," Miller added.

On June 2, Cristobal was designated as the third named Atlantic storm, becoming the earliest in a season to be designated as a storm.

Cristobal first made landfall at 5 p.m. CDT on Sunday with maximum sustained winds of near 50 mph. A tornado was also recorded touching down in Orlando near downtown early Saturday evening.