Severe storms are expected to cause travel chaos over Memorial Day Weekend for millions of people across the South, Plains and Mississippi Valley.
Two-inch hailstones and 70mph winds are likely to impact flights and local transport in several states from Texas to Alabama on Sunday, forecasters have warned.
Severe storm advisories covers a population of 13 million people across several major cities including Memphis, Tennessee; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Birmingham, Alabama; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service and AccuWeather have warned that tornadoes could even strike in some areas as thunderstorms are due to close in on Sunday afternoon.
‘The main threats from severe thunderstorms include dangerous lightning, winds strong enough to snap tree limbs and hail large enough to damage vehicles,’ AccuWeather meteorologists said. ‘A few tornadoes cannot be ruled out as well.’
The strongest storms are expected to target parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma overnight into Memorial Day on Monday, though heavy rain is also set to impact as far east as Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Forecasters identified central Oklahoma as the danger zone for tornadoes, while Memphis, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Birmingham are most at-risk for hail.
Some areas have already experienced unprecedented rainfall for the time of year, with five inches of rain recorded in parts of Missouri over Saturday.
As the ground becomes saturated, many metro areas could also experience flooding through the MWD vacation period, putting a dampener on plans to travel by car.
Though safe from the worst of the incoming storms, parts of the North East have also also been deluged with an unseasonable amount of rain this month.
It comes as meteorologists predicted an ‘above average’ hurricane season this year, urging Americans to start preparing for the worst now.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday that there will likely be more named storms this year than in 2024, when 18 such storms were tracked.
Overall, NOAA is predicting up to 19 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes affecting the US this year.
The National Hurricane Center noted that approximately 400 people died during 2024’s hurricane season, the deadliest season since 2005.
Ken Graham, the director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, said: ‘We’ve got to convince people of the danger.’
‘Every Category 5 [hurricane] that has ever hit this country was a tropical storm or less three days prior,’ Graham warned.
Graham urged people to begin stocking up on emergency supplies, including gas and other essentials, before long lines form during an actual emergency.
Laura Grimm, the chief of staff for NOAA, noted that the agency’s prediction for 2024 ‘was right on the money.’
When asked about funding cuts to NOAA by the Trump Administration, Graham noted that the National Hurricane Center remains ‘fully staffed’ and the cuts won’t affect their 2025 forecasting.
‘The number one thing to do before hurricane season is know your threat. If you’re along a river, you know to prepare for flooding,’ Graham said.
‘Know your evacuation plan if you’re on the coast,’ he added.
Grimm recommended that Americans begin preparing for hurricane season now, before major storms start approaching the East Coast.
He added that NOAA’s hurricane tracking system is scheduled to undergo an upgrade this year that will make their forecasts throughout the 2025 season even more precise.
Graham revealed that NOAA’s five-day forecasts are now as accurate as a three-day forecast was in 2005, helping federal officials put out more accurate evacuation warnings in an emergency.
The new warnings come after meteorologists at AccuWeather released their forecast for the 2025 season in March, which included a prediction of six major storms directly hitting the US this summer.
That’s the same number of storms that caused roughly $500 billion in damage in 2024, with Hurricanes Helene and Milton bringing the most destruction.