US Weather Forecast: Severe Storms, Flooding Rain Expected Across Southeast US

U.S. weather forecast shows that severe storms and flooding rain are possible across the Southeast U.S. from Wednesday to Thursday, June 21 to June 22, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Isolated tornadoes, large hail, strong winds, and flooding due to heavy rain are expected amid the severe weather threat in the region.

The severe weather threat comes amid the formation of a stationary weather pattern across the mainland U.S. In addition, it follows the looming storm system over the Caribbean region. In the coming hours and days, widespread flooding due to torrential rain and power outages due to due to powerful winds are possible in Florida and other states across the region.

The hazardous weather occurs three weeks after the start of North America's summer and Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. The season's onset was marked by violent storms across the southern and southeastern parts of the country. In recent days, overnight storms in Mississippi spawned a tornado in the town of Louin, killing at least one person and injuring 25 others.

U.S. Weather Forecast

In its latest U.S. weather forecast, the NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) stated severe weather and excessive rainfall are possible over parts of the Southeast, as well as in the Great Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley. It also mentioned of a heatwave in Texas.

Regardless, this weather condition is subject to the said weather pattern across the Lower 48 states, where scattered to isolated severe thunderstorms are anticipated across portions of the central and southern Plains.

Meanwhile, a partial part of the East Coast is at risk of wet weather, as excessive rainfall can lead to flash flooding across the Southeast, North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern Virginia on Thursday.

Thunderstorm Events

Thunderstorms occur in different parts of the world and are usually accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there are as many as 40,000 thunderstorm events daily worldwide.

In the U.S., thunderstorms happen in all 50 states and are most frequent in the Southeast, particularly along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida, according to the Pennsylvania State University.

The frequent occurrence of these storms from the Southeast to the Great Plains is due to the common presence of warm, tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico, especially during the warmer months, the university adds.

The NOAA explains the said US regions experience such phenomenon due to moist air coming from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This moisture in the atmosphere is enough ingredients to fuel the formation and development of a thunderstorm in this part of the nation.

In early April 2023, a violent storm that spawned tornadoes in the southern and midwestern parts of the U.S. killed at least 32 people, as reported by local officials and media, Reuters said. Similar incidents have been reported in the mentioned regions in recent years.