Latest news with #SouthernPlains
New York Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Severe Weather Expected Across Much of the U.S. on Saturday
After a run of severe weather this week, another day of thunderstorm activity was on tap for the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Southern Plains on Saturday, and the severe weather was expected to persist through the weekend, forecasters said. On Saturday, the threat will be focused over the Southeast, with the highest risk over northern Mississippi and northern Alabama, where clusters of thunderstorms could kick up powerful, damaging winds. When these clusters of thunderstorms become organized, they can 'create their own environment and they become more powerful than a typical thunderstorm,' said Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. There will also be a low threat of tornadoes on Saturday, 'but the main threat will be wind and that will be across the northern half of Alabama and Mississippi,' he said. On Sunday, the highest area of risk shifts into the southern Plains, especially the Texas Panhandle into western-north Texas and southwest Oklahoma, where thunderstorms could deliver strong winds and large hail, with a moderate risk for tornadoes. Lubbock and Amarillo in Texas and Lawton, Okla., all fall within areas with an enhanced risk of thunderstorm activity. 'I would say the best bet for tornadoes on Sunday would be the Texas Panhandle,' Mr. Kleebauer said. Forecast risk of severe storms for Sunday Some Moderate High The severe weather is being driven by a large and strong storm system moving eastward and interacting with a slow-moving weather front, stretching from the southern Plains through the Ohio Valley. The front is expected to remain nearly stationary over the coming days, said Jennifer Tate, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center. As warm, moist air flows northward into the front, conditions will be favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms. 'That flow coming in from the Gulf, that can bring moisture and instability that are needed to produce those storms,' she said. The setup also brings a risk of flash flooding, especially in areas already saturated from recent rainfall, where repeated rounds of storms are expected. 'With the storms being slow-moving, then there can be multiple rounds of storms affecting the same areas,' Ms. Tate said. 'It makes the soils pretty wet, and then you get another round and that can lead to more flooding.' Flash flood risks will linger. On Saturday the threat falls across southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Mississippi and western Tennessee. On Sunday, it shifts into north Texas and south Oklahoma. A gradual improvement in conditions is expected early next week, although some storm activity may still continue in the region.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Weekend weather update: Slow-moving storm soaking the Plains as Memorial Day weekend begins
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's May 24, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast. A sprawling storm system crawling across the Southern Plains will dampen outdoor plans and produce some severe thunderstorms and flash flooding through the weekend and into Memorial Day, but they're not the only spots in the nation dodging raindrops. Parts of the inland Northeast and the northern Rockies have showers stubbornly in the forecast too. On the other hand, the Memorial Day weekend forecast for the West, Southwest, Great Lakes and much of the Atlantic Seaboard is looking quite pleasant. Catch up on your Memorial Day weekend forecast. Drivers in southern Louisiana were surprised to see a tailless alligator slowly waddling across a highway. The unusual encounter was captured on video Monday by Ashlyn Bartholomew while on Highway 23 in Plaquemines Parish. Bartholomew said she was driving home after dropping her kids off at baseball practice when she spotted the stubby reptile. Initially, she wasn't even sure if it was an alligator or a large dog. Nearly six months after wildfires erupted in Southern California, closing the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles and burning thousands of acres, the iconic West Coast highway has reopened to the public. The highway closed in early January after the Palisades fire spread, engulfing both sides of it in massive flames. Homes and businesses along the highway were destroyed, and the road itself was in ruins. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the reopening on Thursday, saying: "In California, we get stuff done, period. We're opening the PCH back up early, with more lanes before Angelenos hit the road this Memorial Day." Here are a few more stories you might find interesting. Rescuers rush to aid pets doused in jet fuel after deadly San Diego plane crash Could Tropical Storm Alvin form off Mexico's coast next week? Odds have increased Microburst flips over planes at Texas airport Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at or on your favorite streaming service. It's easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@ or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media article source: Weekend weather update: Slow-moving storm soaking the Plains as Memorial Day weekend begins
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Severe storm risk for the central U.S. through Memorial Day weekend
Any pause in storminess after the weeklong barrage that ended Wednesday is short-lived, as severe weather and flood threats increase into Memorial Day weekend across a big chunk of the south-central United States. Severe storm risks will pepper the Southern Plains and occasionally surrounding areas through and beyond the holiday. Of bigger concern may be heavy rain spanning the Southern Plains to the Ozarks. With anticipated precipitation surpassing 6 inches in the heart of the area, flooding may emerge and become a sizable threat over the weekend. There's already a moderate (Level 3 of 4) flood risk on Sunday for locations including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Springfield and Joplin, Missouri, where a flood watch is also in effect. This round of agitated weather started to come to life on Thursday, when numerous thunderstorms struck Oklahoma and Texas. A dozen reports of hail of 2 inches or more in diameter have been logged, largely in a region near and just south of the Red River. Hail as large as baseballs was observed in some instances. With thunderstorms on the docket day after day, there's no near end in sight to the wandering areas of heavy and potentially flooding rainfall. Although the U.S. weather pattern is currently dominated by a dip in the jet stream over the eastern portion of the country — often not supportive of severe weather in the central states — several disturbances riding the jet stream will concurrently move into the Southwest before cruising eastward into next week. Closing in on summer, there's plenty of deep moisture within the warm sector for thunderstorm and heavy rain development. A slow-moving front locked in between jet stream dips will in this case enhance the bevy of weather worries. Storms on Friday should begin in the central high Plains of northeast Colorado, northwest Kansas and portions of Nebraska. After dropping large hail and perhaps a tornado into evening, individual supercells or clusters should increasingly congeal and shift southeast across Kansas and into northeast Oklahoma, with primarily a wind damage risk at night. Saturday may feature a higher concentration of severe weather, potentially in and around Oklahoma City. A band from northwest Texas to southeast Missouri runs the risk of large hail, some probably bigger than tennis balls. In central Oklahoma, extreme instability (storm fuel) and a bit of a low-pressure area nearby may help spin up a couple tornadoes. By Sunday, the severe weather focus probably won't have shifted much. While a threat exists across Oklahoma once again, the best odds for large hail and tornadoes may shift westward to the Texas panhandle and border region with western Oklahoma. With the frontal zone sinking southward a bit on Memorial Day, the main severe weather zone may end up in central and north Texas, where abundant moisture will remain. As much as 7 inches of rain is in the forecast from the National Weather Service over the next few days near where Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas mingle. Some higher totals are a risk where storms are particularly persistent. With the heaviest rain focused near the front on the northern end of moisture, plus little movement in the weather pattern over coming days, a slight (Level 2 out of 4) flood threat has been hoisted for the region Friday and Saturday. Friday's storms develop in the central plains and drift southeast, running into deep moisture, and potentially dropping 3-plus inches through Friday night. By Saturday, repeated rounds of rainfall may increase the flood threat, but for now it remains a slight (Level 2 out of 4). The risk rises to a moderate (Level 3 out of 4) on Sunday. Widespread moderate to heavy rain is expected for the Southern Plains to Tennessee Valley as one of the waves riding the jet stream passes by. Likely falling on saturated soils from prior days, a zone of 2- to 4-plus inches of rain is forecast around where the states mentioned above meet. By Memorial Day, the frontal zone that is a conduit for the heavy rain shifts further south and east, moving a lower-end flooding potential into a Texarkana-to-Chattanooga corridor. Overall, the focus of the heaviest rain should dip southward for a time next week. While that may keep places like Texas in line for frequent storms, it might also give regions like the Ozarks a breather after this next round. But it also seems likely that additional storminess will sweep across the southern Plains in particular after Memorial Day. The Climate Prediction Center calls for above average precipitation to continue in New Mexico, Texas and portions of the surrounding region for the next two weeks.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
North Texas heats up this week, bringing record temps in the 90s and 100s
Happy Monday! It will be a gorgeous but warm day. As the upper-level low pressure to the east moves further east, a ridge of high pressure will build into the Southern Plains, and that will start to bake North Texas mid-week. The upper-level low that brought the rain to North Texas last week has been slow to move. Monday morning, the low axis is centered over Arkansas and Mississippi. This low-pressure system shifts east through Monday and opens the door for a ridge of high pressure to build over the Southern Plains Tuesday into Wednesday. This high-pressure ridge brings the first heat wave of the season, so to speak, as high temperatures warm to the mid-90s Tuesday and to near 100° Wednesday. Wednesday is a First Alert Weather Day due to the dangerous heat. This will be the first time this year for this kind of heat, and the first time this year it could reach 100°. The ridge that bakes North Texas this mid-week shifts east toward the end of the week as an area of low pressure develops over the Rockies. A weak surface cold front will slide through North Texas on Thursday, dropping temperatures to the low 90s. Then, the First Alert Weather Team will be watching a pattern of the dryline progression each day into the weekend. Right now, there is a chance of showers and storms popping up each day, Friday through Sunday.
