Memorial Day Weekend Weather Forecast: Sluggish Storm To Bring Heavy Rain, Severe Weather To Plains, South
Whether you are traveling or planning outdoor activities, weather conditions this Memorial Day weekend could be a factor to weigh into your decision-making, especially in the central and southern U.S.
Travel, particularly by car, is expected to be busy this year with AAA anticipating that a record 45.1 million people will venture at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period. Here's a look at where rainfall could slow some down and how a nationwide temperature split might factor into your activities.
-Saturday: The first day of the holiday weekend could feature wet weather in two areas.
Scattered showers from departing low pressure combined with cool temperatures over Upstate New York and New England favor making plans indoors.
Otherwise, some clusters of showers and storms could dampen plans in spots over the Plains southeastward to parts of the lower and mid-Mississippi valleys.
Localized heavy rainfall might trigger flooding, especially in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas as well as adjacent parts of southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. Severe storms could pack large hail, wind damage and an isolated tornado, especially in much of Oklahoma.
-Sunday: Those expecting to spend time outdoors from the Plains into portions of the South might be wise to have a Plan B just in case. Areas shaded in green below have rain chances at some point during the day, so check the timing for your location on weather.com or The Weather Channel App on Sunday morning before you venture out.
Heavy rain could produce a flash flood threat, especially from Oklahoma into southeast Kansas, southern Missouri and much of Arkansas. Isolated severe storms in the Southern Plains could unleash strong winds, large hail and possibly an isolated tornado.
A few remaining showers are possible in the interior Northeast.
The West should be mostly trouble-free when it comes to any precipitation concerns, except for perhaps some thundershowers in the Colorado Rockies.
-Memorial Day: The sluggish-moving weather system will nudge a bit farther south and east on Monday. That means rain and thunderstorms will plague much of the South and Plains. This could mean a washout in locations shaded darker green in the map below.
The rainfall could also be heavy, resulting in localized flash flooding in portions of the South. Scattered severe storms could impact Texas with high winds and hail.
Once again, the West should be trouble-free for most, but we can't rule out some showers and storms in the Central and Southern Rockies. The Northwest might also see a few showers.
-Great Lakes, Northeast Keep Their Cool: The general theme is that high temperatures will be below average for at least part of the holiday weekend in these regions. Highs in the 60s and lower 70s are commonplace all three days, with even some 50s in upstate New York and New England on Saturday requiring a jacket.
-South Sweats: Florida, the Gulf Coast states and Texas to the south of Interstate 20 will see summer-like heat in the upper 80s and 90s on Saturday and Sunday, so a pool or a beach is a great place to hang out and cool off. Increasing rain and thunderstorms on Monday will knock temperatures down in much of the South, except Florida and South Texas.
-Western Contrast: The Southwest will feel like summer unless you are in coastal Southern California, where the Pacific Ocean's influence keeps it cooler. Lower elevations of the Northwest and Rockies will generally be in the 60s and 70s.
Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with weather.com for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.
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