Showers and a chance of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes are a risk across across several regions of the United States through the end of May, forecasters said.
The storm systems will set their sights on the Southern Plains states on May 29, with a special risk of hail 2 inches or more in diameter. Meanwhile, showers and severe thunderstorms are also expected across parts of the Southeast, and states in the Central Plains, middle Mississippi Valley and the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, the National Weather Service said.
Gulf Coast cities including Houston and New Orleans will be in the crosshairs again after storms earlier in the week, AccuWeather reported.
Later in the week, the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region will see their rounds of rain and thunderstorms, with the potential for frequent lightning, severe wind gusts, hail and even a few tornadoes. On the opposite coast, a storm front is bringing showers to the Pacific Northwest and thunderstorms to the northern and central Rocky Mountains.
Where are severe thunderstorm, flash flooding risks?
Rain and thunderstorms are expected to cover much of the eastern half of the country on May 29, according to the weather service. The greatest risk for severe thunderstorms, including hail, strong winds, and potential tornadoes, centers around west-central Texas and parts of northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Major cities in the storms’ sights include Jacksonville, Florida; Lubbock, Texas; Waco, Texas; and Savannah, Georgia, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Heavy rainfall also brings the risk of flash flooding to parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
This was one of the wettest Mays in some regions
Across much of the East and South, this May was one of the most active for rainfall on record, and there’s still more to come in the final days of the month, according to AccuWeather.
Cities including Jackson, Mississippi; Huntsville, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Montgomery, Alabama; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Lebanon, New Hampshire, all cracked the No. 1 spot for wettest May on record, the outlet reported.
Montgomery, Alabama, gets an average of 3.88 inches of rain in May, for example. This year, that average was eclipsed with 8.68 inches so far through May 28, AccuWeather said.
While the rain has helped make up for dryness in previous months, it’s also had a negative impact on agriculture and put a halt on construction, painting and other projects, the outlet said.
See the national forecast map
The national forecast map for Thursday, May 29, 2025, shows showers and potential thunderstorms impacting much of the U.S.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thunderstorms cover large swath of US, Georgia through end of May