A massive cold front stretching from Maine to Texas is bringing severe weather impacts to much of the United States this week, with snow, storms, and heavy rain affecting more than twenty-five states. The cold front is causing severe storms across the South, flooding rain in the Midwest and Northeast, and a significant snowstorm in the central Rocky Mountains.
Severe weather is expected to begin across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas on Tuesday (May 5), with damaging winds, large hail, and the possibility of tornadoes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms in parts of North Texas, eastern Oklahoma, much of Arkansas, southern Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee. Severe weather threats will shift south on Wednesday, affecting Southeast Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Heavy rain will continue to move across the Midwest and Great Lakes, reaching the Northeast by Wednesday, bringing a risk of flash flooding and travel delays. Travel disruptions are already being reported, especially in the eastern and central U.S.
Behind the front, temperatures will drop dramatically—by as much as 20 to 30 degrees below average—with conditions more typical of early March than early May. Some areas in the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley will see temperatures fall from the high 80s or 90s into the 40s overnight.
The central Rockies are bracing for significant snowfall, with Denver expecting 5 to 8 inches and higher elevations in Colorado and Wyoming likely to see up to 1 or 2 feet of snow. Winter storm warnings and watches are in effect along the Interstate 25 corridor from Denver to Cheyenne, Wyoming. The snow, combined with wind gusts up to 45 mph, may create whiteout conditions and hazardous mountain travel. Snowfall is expected to decrease late Wednesday as the system moves out of the Rockies.
Heavy rain is forecast to bring 2 to 3 inches of precipitation across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee by Friday , which will help ease drought conditions in southern Georgia and along parts of the Northeast coast. However, the rainfall also raises the risk of flash flooding in urban areas like Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cleveland, and along the Interstate 95 corridor—including New York City.
The system is expected to linger, bringing several days of severe weather and rain to much of the country before moving out by early Thursday.
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