Memorial Day weather: Soggy in East, dry in West
Almost 40 million people are expected to travel this weekend
@usatodayweather USA TODAY
Weather could rain on your parade, barbecue and day at the beach in parts of the USA this Memorial Day weekend.
While the weekend should be mostly dry and warm in the West, it’ll be occasionally soggy in parts of the central and eastern USA.
AAA predicts 39.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday weekend. That’s 1 million more travelers than last year taking to the roads, skies, rails and water, the highest Memorial Day travel volume since 2005, AAA said.
Thanks to a slow-moving area of low pressure, the greatest chance of storms and potentially flooding rain will be across portions of the central states from Saturday into Sunday, AccuWeather said.
Rain will soak the central Plains, mid-Mississippi Valley and Ohio Valley on Saturday. The heaviest rain is likely in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, the Weather Channel said.
By Sunday, severe storms and the risk of flooding downpours will shift to parts of the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, AccuWeather meteorologist Jack Boston said.
Rain and thunderstorms could disrupt the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, potentially delaying or postponing the race until Monday. The National Weather Service is calling for a 50% chance of thunderstorms in Indianapolis on Sunday.
For Memorial Day Monday, a cold front is forecast to slide toward the East Coast, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to the Northeast, portions of the Mid-Atlantic and into the South, the Weather Channel reported.
Sunshine and summer-like weather is likely for much of the West through the holiday weekend. Portions of the Pacific Northwest will see temperatures soar 10 to 20 degrees above average. Highs in the 80s and 90s are likely as far north as Oregon and Washington state.