More storms and torrential rain overnight in the South left tens of thousands without power Wednesday.

More than 38,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Texas Wednesday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us, down from more than 55,000 that morning. Most outages occurred in the Houston area, where severe storms brought lightning, hail and strong winds overnight.

ABC 13 reported that more than 1,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Houston area, sparking fires at two apartment complexes. No injuries were reported in either of the fires.

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At least four deaths in Louisiana are being blamed on this week's storms.

A 40-year-old man, identified as Alvarado Morentes Hermelindo, died when a vehicle drove off Highway 415 into a flooded ditch about 10 p.m. Monday night in Port Allen, Louisiana, in West Baton Rouge Parish, according to the Louisiana State Police. One person survived the incident and another was still missing Wednesday according to Louisiana State Police.

A 33-year-old man's body was recovered from a flooded vehicle under Interstate 10 on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge on Tuesday. The victim was identified as Justin Blaine Thompson of Plaquemine, Louisiana.

In Calcasieu Parish, a 61-year-old man was found submerged in a vehicle, and in Baton Rouge, a 76-year-old man who was dependent on oxygen died during a power outage in the area.

Louisiana's governor declared a state of emergency earlier in the week. More than 600 water rescues were reported in the Baton Rouge area Monday night into Tuesday morning.

Photos show parents picking up their children from school by boat in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where more than a foot of rain fell on Monday, and roads are seen inundated by floodwaters.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said the flooding affected hundreds of homes in the area, some of which were damaged in last year's hurricanes.

Flooding remains a concern in the area and into the Southern Plains through Thursday. Click through the slideshow above to see how locals are dealing with the flood emergencies.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.