Severe storms and heavy rain are expected to hit parts of the south after weeks of bad weather killed more than two dozen people in the region.
This comes after a devastating Memorial Day weekend that left communities from Texas to New York picking up the pieces. Tornadoes, storms and heavy rains that hit the region killed at least 27 people and left hundreds of thousands without power.
This weekend is expected to be calm compared to the weather in previous weeks, but there is still a risk of strong to severe storms in parts of the country.
On Saturday, a system is expected to develop from the Rocky Mountains and introduce a risk of severe thunderstorms to the High Plains and West Texas in the afternoon and evening. A small population is found in the risk area, with Midland, Texas, and Roswell, New Mexico being the largest areas likely to be affected. Hail and damaging wind gusts are likely, and one or two tornadoes are possible.
A separate system will bring showers and thunderstorms to East Texas and much of the Mississippi Valley and Midwest on Saturday. Widespread rain totals may reach an inch or two, but at the southern edge of the front in the Deep South and Gulf states, heavy rain may lead to flooding – with up to 4 inches possible in parts of the panhandle of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. . A flood watch is in place through Saturday afternoon along the Alabama coast, particularly Mobile, and the western portion of the Florida Panhandle.
On Sunday, the system moving out of the Rockies will move toward the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, bringing strong to severe thunderstorms to parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Minnesota. Severe storms can bring damaging wind gusts, hail, and an isolated tornado. There may also be a few periods of heavy rain in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with a chance of 1 to 3 inches of rain, but flooding should be minimal.
A storm will roll through the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, bringing heavy rain to parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Rainfall may reach 2 to 3 inches with some cases of flooding possible.
Saturday marks the start of 2024 Atlantic and Central Pacific Hurricane Season. Forecasts call for a hyper-active hurricane season, with 17 to 25 named storms — the most the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released ahead of a season, with the average being 14 named storms per season.