Rain, Melting Snow Bring Flood Threat to Midwest
A storm currently moving across the Southwest will end up spreading rain into areas from the Gulf Coast to the Upper Midwest early this upcoming week. In some places, minor flooding could be an issue as a result of the combination of the rain and melting snow.
The areas at greatest risk for flooding this week include Iowa and parts of its neighboring states.
The rain, which has already spread into Texas and Oklahoma, will expand farther north through South Dakota into Monday and farther east into the Mississippi Valley Monday night into Tuesday.
In Iowa and surrounding states, the rain alone is not expected to be heavy enough to cause flooding. However, with plenty of snow still on the ground in parts of this region, the rain will combine with snow melt to bring about this threat.
Temperatures will remain above normal in these areas throughout the week, allowing snow to continue melting. In most of these areas, even nighttime temperatures will no longer drop below freezing after tonight.
This is the bit of good news for the people who have been having to sprinkle salt on their driveways and sidewalks and break up ice that has been forming each night over the past week or more. They will no longer have to worry about those paved surfaces becoming icy.
Instead, roads and sidewalks will stay wet this week. Where it rains hard enough, especially in low-lying and urban areas, some roads could become flooded. Some rivers will also start to rise this week and in the coming weeks as snow continues melting and more storms impact the region.
Major river flooding is expected further down the road this spring across the northern Plains, central Appalachians, New England and the Ohio Valley.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 113° | Death Valley, CA |
| Low | 30° | Bellemont, AZ |
| Precip | 9.70" | Miami, FL |
WeatherWhys®
A large, horrific tornado struck the city of Joplin, Mo., last year on this date. The twister cut a deadly path across the south side of the city, leaving over 159 dead and at least 1,150 injured. The Joplin tornado currently ranks as the 7th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
Rough Weather
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