Soggy Memorial Day weather may not be a total washout in the Northeast and Midwest

(NEW YORK) –A soggy weather pattern will continue to plague the eastern half of the nation on Sunday with wet and cool conditions, but some improvement is in store for the Northeast and Midwest leading into Memorial Day.

Flood watches have been issued for the eastern Texas coast and into southern Louisiana and Mississippi, including the cities of Beaumont, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, for heavy rain through Memorial Day.

A widespread one to two inches of additional rain is likely from southern Louisiana up to the Carolinas, with pockets of two to four-plus inches possible with the heaviest downpours.

Some of these storms could also be strong enough to produce gusty winds as well as some small hail.

The rainy weather is causing some flight delays on Sunday at airports, including O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago Sunday morning due to thunderstorms. Arriving flights at O’Hare were experiencing average delays of 44 minutes, according to the FAA. Flights scheduled to depart from O’Hare were experiencing delays of up to one hour and 45 minutes, according to the FAA.

Thunderstorms forecast for central Indiana on Sunday afternoon could interrupt the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET, but the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis is forecasting a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms that could affect the race.  

Memorial Day forecast
Scattered rain and thunderstorms continue to linger in the South for Memorial Day.

The Northeast will see some rain move through early Monday morning but it will gradually begin to clear out, making way for a drier and mild afternoon and evening. Most of the region warms back up to average temperatures for Memorial Day.

The Midwest may see an isolated shower or two but will mostly be dry, with warm temperatures.

Much of the West remains warm and dry, except for the Pacific Northwest, where some clouds and showers will begin moving in, causing cooler temperatures.

Post-holiday forecast
For folks going back to work or school or making their way back home from the holiday weekend, the South will continue to see scattered rain and thunderstorms into the new work week. This may cause some minor travel hiccups for those traveling by plane and some slippery conditions for drivers.

The Northwest will see some clouds and showers move into the region and begin to spread into the intermountain areas of the West later on in the week, but it won’t be a complete soaker. 

This will also usher in noticeably cooler temperatures for much of the West for Tuesday into Wednesday, with highs going from the 70s and 80s for most of Monday down into the 60s and barely reaching the 70s on Tuesday and Wednesday.