Drought-hit states from Louisiana to Florida face flash floods, damaging winds, and a rain system that refuses to quit — all through Tuesday afternoon.
Active alert: NOAA’s WPC has issued a Level 2 of 4 flash flood threat for southern Louisiana through the Mobile, Alabama area — in effect through Tuesday evening.
For a region already gasping through a severe drought, the latest storm system is a double-edged sword: desperately needed rainfall — but arriving with a dangerous edge.
A final round of severe thunderstorms is sweeping across the Gulf and Southeast coasts, expected to last through Tuesday afternoon. The storms follow a violent Mother’s Day weekend that dropped 3 to 6 inches of rain across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia — saturating ground that is now primed for flash flooding.
The storm corridor most at risk runs along Interstate 10 from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida — a densely populated stretch where floodwaters can overwhelm roads quickly. Storms developed along the Carolina coast Monday morning, while a separate cluster moved in from the Gulf on Monday afternoon.
“Damaging wind gusts are the primary hazard with any severe thunderstorms that form.”
The system doesn’t end at the coast. By Tuesday, the weather shifts into Florida — though with less intensity. For a state currently suffering Extreme and Exceptional Drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, even a messy storm system comes as partial relief.
Forecasters at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center expect 1 to 2 inches of widespread rain from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, with localized amounts topping 2 inches where slow-moving downpours stall.
This all comes just days after significant severe weather erupted across the southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley on Mother’s Day, producing giant hail and destructive winds — a reminder that the Southern U.S. is enduring a prolonged stretch of volatile spring weather.
If you are in the I-10 corridor or coastal Southeast, monitor NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center for live updates and avoid flood-prone roadways through Tuesday evening.
