Blog Article
Memorial Day Weekend Weather: Texas Floods & Plains Hail
Planning a Memorial Day cookout? See why East Texas and Louisiana face a flash flood threat this weekend, while the Northern Plains get perfect weather.
Memorial Day Weekend Kickoff: Why Your Texas Cookout Might Need an Indoor Backup
Y'all know the feeling. It is Friday evening, the cooler is packed, the charcoal is ready, and Memorial Day weekend is officially here. Folks are hitting the road for the long weekend, heading out to events like the Atwood Music Festival in Mississippi, or just setting up the backyard grill for a neighborhood get-together.
But before you commit to keeping everything outside, you need to look at what the atmosphere is doing across the southern half of the country.
The Gulf Coast Traffic Jam
We have a pretty serious setup for Saturday across East Texas and Western Louisiana. The Weather Prediction Center has outlined a Slight Risk for excessive rainfall right over the Houston and Lake Charles corridors. If you are traveling along I-10 tomorrow, expect some headaches.
Here is the issue. The mid and upper levels of the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana are packed with moisture. However, there is a distinct lack of low-level wind flow to keep things moving.
When thunderstorms form in this environment, they are not going to be in any hurry to leave. They will just sit there and drop water. We are looking at scattered flash flooding that can turn a holiday cookout into a wading pool real quick. With average highs in Houston sitting around 86 degrees this time of year, that heavy, humid air is going to wring out a lot of rain.
High Plains Hazards Tonight
If you are out in Northwest Texas or Western Oklahoma this evening, you have your own issues to watch before we even get to Saturday. The Storm Prediction Center has a Level 2 Slight Risk for severe storms in place.
The main threats here are large hail and damaging winds. Inside the main risk area, the data shows the potential for hen-egg-sized hail. That is two inches across, which is plenty big enough to dent the car you just washed for the long weekend. We are also looking at wind gusts that could reach 75 mph. If you are driving a high-profile vehicle out there tonight, keep both hands on the wheel and watch for sudden crosswinds.
The Holiday Weekend Winners
It is not all bad news for the holiday weekend. If you are up in the Northern Plains or the Dakotas, you have hit the weather jackpot.
A dry, stable air mass is sitting right over the northern tier of the country. This setup is bringing what our models are calling perfect conditions for Saturday. With average late May highs up there usually hovering in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees, it is going to be an absolutely beautiful time to be outside.
Holiday weekends always bring a mixed bag of weather across a country this big. If you are in the South, keep an eye on the radar and maybe have the indoor board games ready as a backup plan.