The number of dead found in Kentucky following devastating flooding has risen to 25 and is likely to continue increasing, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday.

The announcement comes a day after Beshear and other officials grimly predicted the count would rise from earlier tallies after torrential downpours led to historic flooding Wednesday and Thursday.

Beshear said at a Saturday press conference that four children are among the dead, revising down officials’ earlier report that six children had died.

Saturday will likely be decisive, as the state continues recovery efforts in its hard-struck eastern Appalachian region. Beshear said National Guard units and other emergency responders have performed at least 1,200 air and water rescues so far, including the rescue of more than 600 people via helicopter.

Beshear added that officials are “still in a search and rescue” phase and hope to newly access flooded communities, as branches of the Kentucky River and other waterways recede from historic levels. But he warned of what rescuers may find in the aftermath, saying numerous times during the press conference they except the death toll to increase.

“I’m worried we’re going to be finding bodies for weeks to come,” Beshear said.

Weather reports call for no rain Saturday, adding to the urgency of rescue operations before a forecasted 1 to 2 inches of additional rain could fall in coming days.

Already flooded areas bracing for more threatening weather

After a day of reprieve from the rain Saturday, communities in central and eastern Kentucky are bracing for more potential flooding this weekend.

The National Weather Service in Jackson issued new flood watch alerts Saturday for many of the areas already under water. Excessive runoff from showers and thunderstorms between Sunday and Monday could result in the flooding of rivers, creeks and streams across much of central and eastern Kentucky, according to the weather service.

Additional storms could bring 1 to 2 inches of rainfall — but the storm front is expected to move through without lingering like it did in Thursday’s flooding, said Ed Ray, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Kentucky.

“Because we’ve taken such a hard hit already, it isn’t going to take much to cause more problems,” Ray told USA TODAY. “Any rain you get just adds insult to injury.”

Ray said the communities affected by flooding may see a chance to “recoup” with drier weather later into next week.

But Beshear on Saturday said a forecast calling for hot temperatures by mid-week presents its own challenges since tens of thousands of households and businesses are currently without water or under a boil water advisory. 

“It’s going to get really hot,” Beshear said. “It could create its own emergency.”