Storms to soak drought-stricken Gulf Coast, Southeast through Mother's Day
Rounds of storms are expected to persist across the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, creating a flash flood threat through the weekend. However, this pattern will also provide much-needed rain for the region which is entirely covered in drought.
Rounds of storms are expected to persist across the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, creating a flash flood threat through the weekend. However, this pattern will also provide much-needed rain for the region which is entirely covered in drought — particularly southern Georgia, which is battling a historic dry spell.
The tail end of the massive cold front responsible for severe weather earlier this week, including a Tornado Emergency in Mississippi, is forecast to stall over the Gulf Coast and Southeast and generate days of rain as it interacts with warm air from the Gulf.
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NOAA's Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood threat beginning Friday across southern Texas through Louisiana and Mississippi. This includes more than 16 million people across the Austin, Houston, Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro areas.
The threat for flooding shifts east Saturday and Sunday and includes portions of the Gulf Coast and Southeast.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, most of the region has already seen above-average rainfall for the month of May and flash flooding will be possible, especially in more urban areas.
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New Orleans is already running about 1.5 inches above its month-to-date average, while Houston has seen nearly 3 inches above its month-to-date average.
The flood threat shifts east over Alabama and parts of western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle on Sunday.
The heaviest rain totals will remain near the Gulf Coast, with 2 to 3 inches of rainfall expected from Houston to Montgomery through Sunday.
Localized pockets of 3 to 5 inches are possible across central Louisiana into southern Mississippi and Alabama.
However, this rain will also help cut into significant drought ongoing across the region.
Parts of southern Georgia and Northern Florida are in the midst of historic drought conditions, which has fueled wildfires that have scorched tens of thousands of acres.
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Meanwhile, a shot of rain for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic across the first half of the weekend will give way to seasonable temperatures and sunny skies on Mother's Day.
A fast-moving storm will race through the Ohio Valley including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and western New York on Friday night, before rain spreads across the Interstate 95 corridor and New England Saturday.
The heaviest rain is forecast to arrive around noon for Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C.
The region is expected to dry out Sunday before another storm driven by an area of low pressure anchored over Canada arrives Monday morning.
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