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Half of the US will experience a wet and soggy Memorial Day with rain and thunderstorms while at least 7 states are under the threat of potential flash flooding with severe weather over half of Texas; plus, more weather news.
Rain and thunderstorms will span nearly half of the continental US on Memorial Day stretching from New Mexico in the West to the Carolinas in the East, from the Texas border with Mexico in the South, northward to Wyoming and the Dakotas, extending Northeast to Vermont. Rain is also forecast over portions of the Northwest over Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of heavy rain with potential flash flooding over nearly the entirety of Texas, northwestern Louisiana, eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, southwestern Missouri in the southeast corner of Kansas.
Further to the east, heavy rain and thunderstorms will soak the southern half of Florida bringing the risk of flash flooding there, as well as over the Florida Keys.
The NWS is warning of potential severe thunderstorms over roughly half of the state of Texas on Memorial Day, encompassing much of southern Texas extending from Mexico border northward to Lubbock and eastward along the Gulf Coast just west of Sugar Land and Katy.
Flooding has already led to several road closures around San Antonio and a tornado warning was issued overnight. Nearly 16,000 Texans are without power as of Monday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual Atlantic hurricane forecast last Thursday which is predicting an above-average season for 2020.
The NOAA predicts 6 to 10 hurricanes forming from between 13 and 19 named storms. The agency says 3 to 6 of these could become major hurricanes (defined as category 3 or higher with winds of 111 miles per hour or greater).
The National Hurricane Center, a division of the NOAA, has defined an average season based on data gathered from 1966 to 2009. The average number of named systems is 11.3 per season (including tropical storms), the average number of hurricanes is 6.2 per season and the average number of hurricanes at Category 3 or greater is 2.3.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1-November 30. However, for the sixth consecutive year, the season started early when Tropical Storm Arthur formed off the Florida coast on May 16.
One of the most important things to make sure you have this hurricane season are cellphones for you and all the members of your family. There are many low-cost cell phone plans available, especially for seniors. It’s important to have a communication and evacuation plan for your family in advance. It’s also important to have a battery-powered or hand crank powered weather radio to be able to stay informed should the power go out. Make sure to also maintain a 3-day supply of water and food for each member of your family, as well as your pets.
