(CNN) -- Severe flooding killed at least five people in central Tennessee on Saturday, officials said, as floodwaters inundated roads, highways and homes in and around the Nashville area.
The National Weather Service also said 33 of 75 counties in Arkansas are under a tornado warning, and 25 counties in Tennessee are under a tornado watch.
Two people were killed Saturday when floodwaters swept them away as they tried to seek safety on the roof of their SUV about 80 miles northwest of Nashville, Stewart County emergency management spokesman Clint Mathis said.
Three more people were reported dead in counties near Nashville, Tennessee Emergency Management spokesman Jeremy Heidt told CNN.
Between 6 and 10 inches of rain has fallen in 12 hours in the area, causing "extremely dangerous" flooding, the National Weather Service said.
"This is one of the most severe rain events Nashville has ever experienced," Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said in a statement.
Dean said more than 50 water rescues had been conducted Saturday, and more were under way.
"I urge all Nashville residents to stay home and stay off the roads," Dean said.
At least 2,000 people were displaced after two levees broke in Millington, a small city near Memphis, Millington Police said.
Video from CNN affiliate WZTV showed more than a dozen vehicles submerged in several feet of swift-moving water on I-24 in Nashville.
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