Thunderstorms, flood watches in southern, central US on Memorial Day
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms were expected to hit the southern and central United States on Memorial Day, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters warned of excessive rainfall and severe thunderstorms over parts of the Southern Plains, as well as the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys on May 26.
Flood watches have been issued over swaths of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
The region already had days of rainfall since Friday, May 23.
On Memorial Day, rainfall amounts could be as high as 1 to 3 inches per hour, with runoff from heavy rain creating “dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions,” AccuWeather said in an email update. Forecasters also warned of hail.
Flash flood warnings in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi
Parts of northeastern Texas, near Tyler, and Louisiana, near Shreveport and Natchez, have flash flood warnings, local weather service offices said. The warnings also extended to parts of Mississippi.
Early on Memorial Day, the affected areas already had heavy rains with flash flooding ongoing or expected, officials said.
The warning in and around Shreveport affected more than 350,000 people. Officials urged people to move to higher ground. In Mississippi, warnings extended further south along the Mississippi River through most of the morning.
Flash flooding would likely occur in small creeks and streams, as well as on highways, streets and underpasses with poor drainage and in low-lying areas, officials said.
The weather service warned people not to drive into flooded roads, since most flood deaths occur in cars. Officials also said to be cautious at night when it’s harder to see flooding.
Travel delays for highways, airports
AccuWeather warned that repeated flooding downpours could cause delays and shutdowns on interstate highways and airports in the region.
Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport had ground delays due to thunderstorms, as did George Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. AccuWeather also said travel may be affected at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, in Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as at Memphis International Airport, in Tennessee.
Heavy rainfall over the weekend has resulted in flooding across the Ozarks region, AccuWeather said. People with holiday or travel plans in the recreational area should be prepared for significant flooding, the weather company said.
By the afternoon and evening, storms are projected to form in central and western Texas. The San Angelo weather service office had enhanced risk levels for damaging winds and very large hail with an isolated tornado possible.
Severe thunderstorm watches continued the evening of Memorial Day in parts of southern Louisiana and Mississippi. The weather service’s Storm Prediction Center said a line of storms may produce strong gusts up to 65 mph and a possible tornado or two.
Severe thunderstorm warnings after Memorial Day
On Tuesday, May 27, the Storm Prediction Center expected slight risk of scattered severe thunderstorms in parts of the southern Plains eastward to the Southeast.
This included what an update called the "greatest threat" of large hail and wind damage in south-central Texas. Wind damage could occur in the lower Mississippi Valley.