'Hazardous Weather' Tracks South US from Friday Until Next Week, Bringing Flash Flooding Risk [NWS]

A "hazardous weather" is tracking across the southern United States as of Friday, February 9, and it will continue to linger in the region through the weekend and into next week, according to the latest US weather forecast. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the inclement weather will bring flash flooding risk due to potential heavy rain caused by a deep upper-level trough and surface low-pressure system.

Two weeks ago, it can be recalled that a storm system, which was responsible for causing raging floodwaters in San Diego, California, also drenched parts of the South US in last month. Now, the weather forecast shows that the renewed adverse weather could lead to similar flash flooding events, particularly in low-lying or low-elevation areas and communities near rivers or other inland bodies of water.

The NWS forecast comes after it issued a winter storm alert across the northern Plains and reported the continuance of wintry conditions in the Western US, which has been bombarded by atmospheric rivers since the start of the year. For the eastern half of the country, the weather service also forecasted that some parts of the region will experience heavy snow and above-average temperatures in the coming days.

Hazardous Weather Forecast

Another short-range outlook from the NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) this week highlights the threat of heavy rainfall this coming weekend across several areas across the South US, where scattered areas of flash flooding are expected. The WPC on Friday morning provided its hazardous weather forecast, which also include a risk of severe thunderstorms across the South from Saturday to Monday, February 10 to February 12.

The South US weather for the weekend could affect the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and their surrounding areas. The WPC explains that an energy connected with a winter storm across the Intermountain West will shift to the east this weekend.

It will then interact with a cold front that will slow down and stall over areas of the South. This weather system can give multiple rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms.

South US Flooding

Disruptive floodwaters impacted the South US in late January, placing around 11 million people under flood watches ranging from southeastern Texas to southern Tennessee. The South US flooding posed the greatest flash flooding risk in eastern Texas, southern Arkansas, and northern Louisiana. This all occurred after the US experienced a nationwide deep freeze caused by an Arctic blast in December 2023 and early January 2024.

For now, a mixture of winter storms, wet weather, and severe thunderstorms is possible in some parts of the nation until the remainder of the current North American winter season, set to last until the end of February. However, several reports recently suggest that the spring season could arrive early in the US.