‘Generational flooding' event could dump four months of rain in just a week
A 'generational flooding' event could pound parts of the central U.S., dumping four months of rain over the course of just a week.
More than 46 million Americans will be affected by repeated rounds of intense rainfall over the region, including at least 13 million people within a high-to-extreme risk zone.
"Should the amount of rain occur that we anticipate over the middle of the nation, it would exceed the 500- to 1,000-year average," warned AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist William Clark. "Truly, the potential is there for a historic flash-flooding event."
Forecasters warned some areas of Tennessee could expereience as many as 15 inches of rain between Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. Video Wednesday showed hail pelting the state's roads. Transportation crews were working to clear gutters of debris in preparation for the rain.
'This isn't routine. This is a rare, high-impact, and potentially devastating event,' the Memphis National Weather Service office wrote on social media. 'Heavy rainfall will likely lead to widespread river, flash, and area flooding that could cause severe disruptions, especially along and north of Interstate 40.'
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and state emergency managers told residents to heed local guidance, and make a plan to stay safe.
'Make sure you're paying attention. Make sure you have a plan if you have to leave of where you would go and how you communicate that with folks,' Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Chief of Staff Alex Pellom advised at a press conference.
The multi-day 'catastrophic' and possibly historic heavy rainfall event may also produce life-threatening flooding from the Ozarks into the Ohio River Valley.
The powerful storm system will also bring a 'barrage' of other life-threatening weather hazards, including strong tornadoes throughout the Lower Ohio Valley and mid-South on Wednesday.
Tornado damage was already reported in Oklahoma and Missouri, where trees were knocked down, structures were destroyed, and power poles were knocked askew. Tornado warnings were issued through the mid-afternoon in Missouri and Tennessee.
Several school districts had canceled classes there, in Indiana, Arkansas, and other states. More than 9,500 Arkansans were left without power, according to the outage tracker PowerOutage.US.
The severe weather outbreak is also bringing damaging winds and the risk of very large hail to the region.
'Unfortunately, this severe threat will be compounded by the beginning of a life-threatening flash flood event,' the National Weather Service said.
After the first round of rainfall and flash flooding, it said the system will become 'nearly stationary' on Thursday.
It will remain stalled into the weekend, bringing the 'possibility of long duration and severe disruptions to daily life,' it added. Severe thunderstorms are also anticipated on Thursday and Friday.
'The repeated rounds of rainfall will lead to increasingly saturated soils, with possible additional rainfall over areas already experiencing flooding,' forecasters said.
Climate change is making rainstorms more intense, according to a new analysis from the nonprofit group Climate Central.
It said that more than 125 cities have experienced an increase in hourly rainfall intensity since 1970, and that hourly rainfall intensity has increased in every U.S. region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sun and rain: See Cheboygan County's weekend forecast here
Cheboygan County can expect some sun and some rain this weekend, with temperatures forecast in a range of 71 to 79 degrees, according to data from AccuWeather. You can search for more information on hourly, daily, monthly weather forecasts and current air quality conditions for your location here. Here's a breakdown of the weekend forecast for Cheboygan County: Friday is forecast to have a high of 75 degrees with a low of 45 degrees and partly cloudy at night. Expect the daytime temperature to feel seven degrees hotter at 82 degrees. Throughout the day, wind will be blowing west-northwest at 5.8 miles per hour. Friday's forecast high is above average for this time of year. The 30-year average maximum temperature for June 6 is 74 degrees. This internationally agreed-upon average represents climate data from 1991-2020 and is recalculated every 10 years. The forecast low is one degree cooler than the established normal of 46 degrees for this time of year. Historically, this day is usually a bit wet, with an average 0.09 inches of precipitation. Saturday is forecast to have a high of 75 degrees with a low of 52 degrees and partly cloudy at night. Expect the daytime temperature to feel five degrees hotter at 80 degrees. Throughout the day, wind will be blowing northeast at 6.9 miles per hour. Saturday's forecast high is above average for this time of year. The 30-year average maximum temperature for June 7 is 74 degrees. The forecast low is six degrees hotter than the established normal of 46 degrees for this time of year. Historically, this day is usually a bit wet, with an average 0.09 inches of precipitation. Sunday is forecast to have a high of 77 degrees with a low of 52 degrees and cloudy, showers around late at night. Expect the daytime temperature to feel the same as forecast at 77 degrees. There will be moderate rain during the day, with less than an inch of rain expected. Throughout the day, wind will be blowing southeast at 9.2 miles per hour. Sunday's forecast high is above average for this time of year. The 30-year average maximum temperature for June 8 is 74 degrees. The forecast low is six degrees hotter than the established normal of 46 degrees for this time of year. Historically, this day is usually a bit wet, with an average 0.09 inches of precipitation. Monday is forecast to have a high of 71 degrees with a low of 50 degrees and a shower early; partly cloudy at night. Expect the daytime temperature to feel two degrees hotter at 73 degrees. There will be light rain during the day, with less than an inch of rain expected. Throughout the day, wind will be blowing west at 9.2 miles per hour. Monday's forecast high is below average for this time of year. The 30-year average maximum temperature for June 9 is 74 degrees. The forecast low is three degrees hotter than the established normal of 47 degrees for this time of year. Historically, this day is usually a bit wet, with an average 0.09 inches of precipitation. In Michigan, daily weather forecasts can be unreliable at times due to the volatile nature of lake effect — cold air passing over warm water that causes extreme low or high temperatures — and lack of weather-measuring coverage in the state, according to Dr. Jeffrey Andresen, the State Climatologist for Michigan. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across Michigan, generated with data from AccuWeather. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Sun and rain: See Cheboygan County's weekend forecast here June 6-9, 2025
UPI
10 hours ago
- UPI
Hazy sky to persist as Canadian wildfire smoke and Saharan dust invade U.S.
Pedestrians stop to take photos of the sun as it passes through 42nd Street before sunset on Wednesday in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo The haze is here to stay. Rounds of smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires, as well as dust blowing off Sub-Saharan Africa, will continue to envelop portions of the United States into the summer, say AccuWeather meteorologists. Recent rounds of smoke blowing across the northern and eastern United States over the last week resulted in a hazy sky, poor air quality and vibrant sunrises and sunsets. While the smoke has mostly retreated back into Canada as of late this week, additional episodes are expected through the summer, with the first expected early next week. Meanwhile, the Saharan dust will result in similar effects in the South, mostly in Florida and areas surrounding the Gulf and southwestern Atlantic. A recent round of dust blowing off of Africa will also have the effect of putting a temporary lid on potential tropical development. A cycle of smoke from Canadian wildfires The 2025 Canadian wildfire season is off to a quick start, and the result has been plumes of thick smoke pouring into the United States since May. Because of how Canada manages these fires, mostly burning unabated in unpopulated areas, the smoke will continue to flow south in cycles through the summer, warn AccuWeather meteorologists. According to data released by the Canadian government last week, nearly 1,500 fires have burned so far in the country. While this number is not unusual, the size of the fires has been, covering an area that's over 300 percent of the historical average for this time of year, mostly in the prairies of central Canada. From last week into early this week, plumes of smoke dimmed the sky and led to poor air quality in Midwestern locales before heading south and east. That smoke has now mostly retreated or dissipated from the lower 48 states. "Pockets of smoke and haze are expected to hover over portions of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes through this weekend," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. "However, the density and overall aerial coverage of the smoke will continue to decrease." Multiple storms moving across the Midwest and East -- in association with clouds, rain and changes in the wind direction -- have led, and will continue to lead, to the dissipation of smoke in many areas. However, this break from the smoky conditions will be fleeting. "Between Sunday and Monday, a cold front diving out of Canada is expected to bring a resurgence of smoky skies," said Buckingham. "This will likely target many of the same areas that experienced smoky skies this past week, especially across the northern Plains and Midwest." Where the smoke is thickest in the Midwest, the air quality can suffer, resulting in hazardous conditions, especially for susceptible populations such as the elderly and those with respiratory ailments. By the time the smoke moves east later next week, that concern will lessen. "Hazy skies from upper-atmosphere smoke can potentially spread across the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Northeast by the middle and end of next week," added Buckingham. The smoky start to the warm months has many recalling the thick smoke that invaded Midwestern and Northeastern cities in 2023, which ended up being Canada's most destructive wildfire season. Saharan dust to put a lid on tropical activity in the Atlantic While wildfire smoke will continue to intrude from the north this summer, rounds of dust blowing off Africa will impact the South. A current round through late this week can be replaced by another next week, say AccuWeather experts. "Besides the dust that is already over the Southeast and moving across the Atlantic, another large round of dust is moving off Africa now," said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva on Thursday morning. "It is expected to reach the Lesser Antilles beginning late this weekend, and perhaps Florida by the end of next week." In the meantime, a hazy sky and vibrant sunrises and sunsets can be expected all along the Gulf Coast, and also portions of the southwest Atlantic coast, through Friday. The dimming of the sunshine can also have a slight cooling effect, resulting in daytime high temperatures that are a few degrees lower than they otherwise would have been with full sun. Unlike with thick wildfire smoke plumes, the Saharan dust will remain mostly in the upper atmosphere, because of the great distance of thousands of miles it must travel to reach the U.S. Because of that, poor air quality is not anticipated in either the Caribbean or Southeast, though some of the dust can mix with rain from thunderstorms, leaving what appears to be dirty spots on cars and other objects. The dust can have an effect of quelling potential tropical development, however. "This dust will likely prevent anything from forming across most of the Atlantic tropical basin over the next few weeks," pointed out DaSilva. "The only areas that can see a risk of development will be across the western Caribbean or in the Gulf." AccuWeather meteorologists are currently highlighting a low risk for tropical development in that area through mid-June. The hurricane season as a whole, which runs through Nov. 30, is expected to be an active one, especially after Saharan dust subsides.
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Timeline of Two New Tropical Storms
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new forecast from AccuWeather outlines the timeline of the development for two potential tropical storms in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The storms could form within days of each other, marking the second and third tropical storms of the season, an unusual occurrence if it happens, considering that would mark three tropical storms only a month into the hurricane season. However, AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick told Newsweek that the two budding systems could also combine into one large system, although the more likely scenario is that one steals energy from the other, causing it to dissolve before it becomes a named storm. Why It Matters The Eastern Pacific hurricane season began on May 15, two weeks earlier than the Central Pacific and Atlantic hurricane seasons, which started on June 1. Each hurricane season runs through November 30. Tropical Storm Alvin kicked off the Eastern Pacific hurricane season late last month when it formed off the coast of Mexico and brought heavy rain across the U.S. Southwest. Alvin formed a little earlier than is normal for the season, which typically sees its first storm around June 10. What to Know As of Thursday afternoon, two separate storm systems are developing south of Mexico. Neither of the systems is organized, so Feerick said it's "not out of the question" that they could combine into one system. A forecast from AccuWeather shows the potential timeline for development of two systems in the Eastern Pacific. A forecast from AccuWeather shows the potential timeline for development of two systems in the Eastern Pacific. AccuWeather However, forecast models anticipate them remaining separate. If they both end up strengthening into a tropical storm, AccuWeather anticipates the western system would form sooner, between June 6 and June 8. The eastern system could form between June 12 and June 14. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) also is tracking the systems. It puts the eastern system at a higher chance of development, with there being an 80 percent chance it will form within the next seven days. Meanwhile, the NHC says the western system has a 30 percent chance of development in the next seven days. AccuWeather meteorologists are anticipating 14 to 18 tropical storms and seven to 10 hurricanes for the Eastern Pacific this season. An average season produces 15 tropical storms and four hurricanes, according to AccuWeather. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a below-normal hurricane season for the Eastern Pacific with 12 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to 10 will likely become hurricanes, and two to five could develop into major hurricanes. AccuWeather also is tracking a potential system in the Caribbean, which is part of the Atlantic hurricane season. If that system forms, it would likely do so between June 12 and 16. What People Are Saying NHC in a tropical weather outlook: "Two areas of low pressure are forecast to form from a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms that are currently located several hundred miles south of southern Mexico. One low is expected to form on the east side of an elongated trough during the next day or so a few hundred miles south of southern Mexico. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form over the weekend while the system moves generally west-northwestward." Feerick told Newsweek: "It certainly would be climatologically pretty early to have three named storms by the middle of June." What Happens Next The NHC will likely issue more updates as the storms become more organized. People in high-risk areas of impact are urged to have a plan in place to prepare for the hurricane season.
