Texas is again in crosshairs of more dangerous storms: see full weekend forecast
The central U.S. faces more rounds of thunderstorms on Friday and into the weekend that once again may unleash damaging winds, hail and possible tornadoes across the storm-weary region, much of which is still reeling from weeks of severe weather that spun up deadly twisters and inflicted immense damage.
Over 25 million people from southern Texas and New Mexico to Kansas and Colorado were at risk from the storms, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. Among the dangerous conditions were strong wind gusts, hail larger than 2 inches in diameter and, in west Texas, an isolated tornado. The cities in the storm's crosshairs include San Antonio, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Pueblo, Colorado.
"There's still plenty of uncertainty as to where exactly storms will initiate and be most impactful," the weather service noted.
1:00am CDT #SPC Day1 Outlook Slight Risk: across parts of the southern Plains, Ark-La-Tex, lower Mississippi Valley and central High Plains https://t.co/TgJgC6cQZw pic.twitter.com/Uv3rwa8zhK
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) May 31, 2024
Early Friday morning, meteorologists issued flood and thunderstorm advisories across central and eastern Texas as some rivers approached their flood stages. The weather service placed parts of the Mississippi Valley under flash flood advisories citing the rolling storms forecast to develop over the area.
A piece of hail 2.75 inches wide was recorded in Matagorda County, in southeast Texas, along the Gulf Coast. In the same area, wind speeds reached 72 mph, according to the weather service.
More than 230,000 homes and businesses throughout eastern Texas were without power, down from Wednesday's peak of nearly 400,000 outages, according to a USA TODAY tracker. Over 28,000 outages were reported in western Louisiana and more than 11,000 utility customers were in the dark in Arkansas.
At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, delays continued to pile up from earlier in the week. As of Friday afternoon, more than 100 flights had been canceled and over 300 were delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.
Communities ravaged, over 30 killed by storms in recent weeks
This week, dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed across Texas by passing storms, one of which killed a 16-year-old construction worker when a building collapsed around him near Houston on Tuesday. The is death under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to local media outlet KTRK.
Memorial Day weekend saw deadly weather crash through the southern Plains region, killing at least 22 people. At least eight people died in Arkansas, seven in Texas, five in Kentucky and two in Oklahoma amid twisters and storms that demolished hundreds of homes, authorities said.
In Texas, the misery came just two weeks after flash floods and high winds barreled through the Houston area, killing at least eight people and leaving thousands without power for more days.
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Storms to batter Plains through the weekend; respite on the horizon
Over the weekend, the most powerful storms will progressively move north, eventually bringing severe conditions to the Upper Plains and parts of the Midwest.
On Saturday, storms are forecast to develop across the central and southern High Plains before organizing into clusters and spreading from eastern Texas to South Dakota. The storms pose risks for severe wind, hail and "perhaps a couple of brief tornadoes," particularly in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and eastern Texas.
Meanwhile, another complex of storms could break out into the central Gulf Coast, dumping excessive rain over much of Mississippi and Alabama.
On Sunday, the storm clusters are expected to center over the Upper Plains, mostly impacting the Dakotas, Nebraska and much of Minnesota. Next week, bad weather is forecast to stay along the northern U.S. and the Midwest, bringing a much-needed reprieve to Texas and the southern Plains.
National weather radar
Contributing: John Bacon, Minnah Arshad
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas again in crosshairs of dangerous storms: Full weekend forecast
