Memorial Day weekend weather forecast: Will rain ruin your plans?
A large chunk of the middle part of the country will see wet, potentially stormy weather as a system moves through the Plains.
Will you be one of the record 45.1 million people that AAA says will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend? Read below to see how the weather will affect your plans.
Temperature-wise, while most of the central and eastern U.S. will see below-average temperatures throughout the weekend, the western U.S. and Florida will see above-average warmth, Weather.com reports.
As for rain, a large chunk of the middle part of the country will see wet, potentially stormy weather this weekend as a system moves through the Plains.
Nasty weather in the Northeast
Folks starting a vacation early will encounter wet and nasty conditions in the Northeast on Friday, May 23. "Have the umbrellas, waterproof shoes and warm jackets handy," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
While that storm will diminish by Saturday, "the second half of the Memorial Day weekend looks to be mainly dry but quite cool," AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "Watch those flowers and veggies, as there could be a frost in parts of Pennsylvania and Upstate New York by Sunday morning, if clouds break and the breeze diminishes."
Dry in the Southeast, except for Florida
Farther south, AccuWeather said that most of the time from Friday, May 23 to Monday, May 26 will be free of rain.
One exception to the dry weather in the Southeast will be over Florida.
"Brief but drenching sea breeze thunderstorms are possible over the Florida Peninsula and will generally drift from east to west on a daily basis," Pastelok said.
Stormy in Central US
The likelihood of rain and thunderstorms will increase this weekend toward the central Gulf, the Tennessee Valley and the Plains states, AccuWeather said.
More numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected for the second half of the weekend when the greatest risk of severe weather is likely in the Central United States.
Cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Little Rock and Nashville will see rain Saturday, May 24 into Sunday, May 25, Weather.com predicts.
Warm in the West
The Southwest will be the hot spot for the holiday weekend, according to AccuWeather.
"Temperatures should surpass 100 degrees in the deserts each day, while highs well into the 90s are in store for the central and southern part of the interior valley of California," Pastelok added.
The Northwest, however, will not be completely dry through the holiday weekend with a couple of showers and thunderstorms extending into the northern Rockies, AccuWeather said.