Memorial Day weekend may be disrupted by severe weather conditions.
A large number of individuals are predicted to travel this weekend, possibly making it the busiest period in nearly two decades, states AAA.
This weekend, travelers will face a hazardous and disruptive multi-day severe thunderstorm event involving destructive winds, dangerous hail, and powerful tornadoes. This storm system is expected to occur in various areas of the central, southern, and eastern US.
The month of May has already witnessed excessive severe weather incidents, but the frequency has increased dramatically this week. Since Sunday, there have been over 850 wind damage reports and at least 80 tornado reports within the United States.
On Tuesday, an EF4 tornado, the third one this year, was responsible for the deaths of at least four people in Greenfield, Iowa, while leaving a significant segment of the city in ruins. Additionally, there may be more strong tornadoes, at least EF2, in parts of the Plains on Saturday and in the Midwest on Sunday.
Saturday in the Plains will have little to no storm activity during the daytime, before intense thunderstorms form in the evening in sections of western Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The storms will expand in both power and range in the evening and overnight, moving into the Mississippi Valley.
In the Plains, there is a Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms, where damaging wind gusts, gigantic hail, and tornadoes might occur. The greatest possibility of a few strong tornadoes is centered on parts of south-central Kansas and northern Oklahoma during the evening.
On Sunday, thunderstorms will arise over portions of the Midwest before gradually weakening, but another group of damaging thunderstorms is anticipated to materialize quickly. Over the course of the day, these storms will move from the Great Lakes to the South.
Damaging wind gusts and hail will be the primary concerns with any severe thunderstorm on Sunday, but some might generate tornadoes. Currently, the highest tornado risk is in the Midwest, specifically during the afternoon and evening.
Several influential airports in the US, including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Nashville, could experience delays or cancellations due to storms.
An illustration of how storms could develop over the Memorial Day weekend is provided by a forecast model. Thunderstorm activity will likely continue on Memorial Day Monday, potentially disrupting outdoor activities and travel for a large portion of the East. Some of these storms could turn severe, although the extent of the threat is not yet evident.
Despite the absence of damaging winds, hail, or tornadoes, lightning poses a serious threat to any outdoor plans like picnics, pool parties, or beach trips.
The unofficial start of summer will feel like summer
While massive thunderstorms lash inland regions this weekend, some coastal areas will encounter a more significant danger: summerlike heat.
In parts of the southern US, especially South Texas and South Florida, record-breaking temperatures have already been observed this month, a type of heat more likely due to human-caused climate change.
The record heat will spread during the weekend, endangering daily high-temperature records from Texas to the Southeast. Air temperatures are predicted to soar into the 90s.
Cities along the Gulf coast and the southeast Atlantic coast, such as Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Mobile, Alabama, Tampa, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina, will experience the sort of heat that feels more like July than late May through Memorial Day.
Heat index values, which indicate how warm it feels, could skyrocket into the triple-digits in the southern US, increasing health risks from weather's most harmful element.
To stay safe in the heat, it's essential to remain hydrated and keep an eye out for signs of heat fatigue or heat stroke.
Heat index values have already surpassed 100 degrees in regions of southern Texas this week and may rise into incredibly dangerous ranges through Monday. The heat index is predicted to max out between 110 and 120 degrees in southern Texas, including in Corpus Christi and Laredo, as per the National Weather Service.
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Given the text and the words ["Memorial Day", "weekend"], here are two sentences that contain those words:
This Memorial Day weekend, travelers will face a hazardous and disruptive multi-day severe thunderstorm event.Due to the severe weather conditions, some outdoor activities and travel plans for Memorial Day weekend might need to be modified.
Source: edition.cnn.com
