A series of storms is expected to bring dangerous weather conditions across the central and eastern United States over the Memorial Day weekend, likely causing traffic congestion and flight delays during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Storms ripped through the Midwest Thursday night and into Friday morning, bringing wind gusts up to 70 mph to small towns still reeling from powerful storms and tornadoes earlier in the week. A tornado killed four people, injured 35 and damaged more than 150 homes in Greenfield, Iowa, on Tuesday.
At least one tornado touched down in southwestern Oklahoma late Thursday, according to the weather service. Local media reported that several homes sustained damage, including roofs being blown off. In Nebraska, strong winds uprooted trees, tangled power lines and produced softball-sized hail. As of Friday morning, more than 25,000 homes and businesses were without power across Iowa and Nebraska, according to the USA Today outage tracker.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service's Quad Cities office warned Friday of high winds and the risk of tornadoes in Iowa and Illinois throughout the day.
“An arcing line of severe storms continues to move eastward at 60 mph this morning. The primary threat is damaging winds with possible tornadoes possible across northwestern Illinois,” the weather service said in a statement. “Our response is not over once this line moves out, as additional strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon.”
According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, a swath of more than 45 million people from northeast Texas and the Tennessee Valley into Missouri and Illinois is most likely to experience flooding, strong winds and tornadoes on Friday. Cities targeted by the various storms include Dallas, Chicago, Indianapolis, Memphis and Milwaukee. Flood watches and warnings have been issued in eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and western Tennessee, where 2 to 3 inches of rain has fallen.
The continued threat of severe weather comes on the heels of deadly storms that have ravaged the Plains and Midwest, including Houston, Texas, Temple and Greenfield, Iowa, in the past week, with at least nine people killed, dozens injured and millions of dollars in damages caused by relentless weather.
Weekend forecast: Plains and Midwest face relentless storms
The Plains and Midwest regions, which have been hit by powerful and destructive storms over the past few weeks, will face a constant threat of tornadoes throughout the holiday weekend.
Meteorologists are predicting “several strong-to-severe tornadoes, severe hail and corridors of widespread wind damage” across the central and southern Plains on Saturday. The risk of moderate to severe storms — a four on a five-point scale — is concentrated in Kansas and Oklahoma, with Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Wichita among the cities in the danger zone.
The storm is forecast to move northeast on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms to parts of eastern Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Large swaths of the Midwest and south-central U.S. are also in the storm's path. Meteorologists expect the severe weather to spread to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Monday.
“Thunderstorms this weekend could threaten outdoor events like weddings, barbecues and camping trips, as well as create dangerous conditions from the Great Plains to the East Coast,” according to AccuWeather.
More than 43 million people travel during stormy holiday weekend
Travelers across the central and eastern U.S. could experience delays on roads and at airports as the unofficial start of summer is marred by severe weather.
According to projections from the American Automobile Association, approximately 44 million people will travel more than 50 miles during the Memorial Day holiday travel period from Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 27. More than 38 million people will travel by car and more than 3.5 million will travel by plane.
“We haven't seen such high travel numbers over Memorial Day weekend in nearly two decades,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president at AAA Travel, said in a statement. “We are projecting 1 million more travelers over the holiday weekend compared to 2019. Not only does this exceed pre-pandemic levels, it also signals a very busy upcoming summer travel season.”
The storm forced officials to temporarily ground flights at New York City's two major airports on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and hundreds of flights were delayed across the Mid-Atlantic and New England, including at airports in Boston, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Cleanup and recovery efforts underway after devastating storm
Across the central United States, construction crews, utility workers, emergency responders and residents worked to clear away huge tracts of debris left behind by recent storms.
In Greenfield, Iowa, officials from around the state and dozens of volunteers helped clean up the town that was devastated by a powerful tornado on Tuesday afternoon. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said at a news conference Thursday that the response has been remarkable. “I was on the scene yesterday, and the amount of debris that's been picked up and removed is just incredible,” she said.
In Houston, officials worked to repair buildings damaged by the storm that hit the city on May 16, killed eight people and left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power, most of which was restored this week. The city's Office of Emergency Management said several roads would be closed over the weekend as waste management crews continued to pick up storm debris.
In the city of Temple, about 60 miles north of Austin, emergency responders were clearing downed trees and piles of debris and restoring power after a tornado that damaged homes and caused minor injuries to several people on Wednesday. More than 25,000 power customers in Bell County, which includes Temple, were without power on Friday, according to USA Today's outage tracker.
National Weather Radar
Contributors: Gabe Haouari, USA Today and Jose Mendiola, Des Moines Register
