Northeast, Midwest see soggy Memorial Day

ABC News reported on Sunday, May 24, that wet Memorial Day weather was expected to linger across much of the eastern half of the United States, with the Northeast and Midwest facing rain and cool conditions rather than a full holiday washout. The network said some improvement was possible by Monday in parts of those regions, even as flood watches stretched across parts of the South. In the Philadelphia region, local forecasters said steady rain would continue through Sunday with only limited clearing late Monday. In Nashville, the forecast called for rain, fog and possible thunderstorms. ### Where was the holiday weather expected to be the wettest? ABC News said the soggy pattern was centered on the eastern half of the country, with the Northeast and Midwest seeing wet and cool conditions heading into Memorial Day. The report said flood watches had been issued from southeastern Louisiana into Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia, including cities such as Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, New Orleans, Knoxville and Charleston. The Tennessean reported that Nashville's Memorial Day forecast included rain, fog and possible thunderstorms. The paper said the chance of rain rose to 80% Sunday night, with thunderstorms possible before 2 a.m. and rain continuing overnight, citing the National Weather Service forecast. ### What did forecasters say about Philadelphia? CBS Philadelphia reported that steady rain continued through Sunday across the Philadelphia region, soaking the holiday weekend. (abcnews.com) The station said more rain was expected through the weekend, with only a few spots possibly seeing a little clearing by late Monday, Memorial Day. NBC Philadelphia said a heavy rain alert was in effect Saturday and Sunday as rounds of rain moved across the region. (tennessean.com) The station said rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches were expected and warned of a high risk of rip currents at the shore. ### Was any part of the East expected to improve by Monday? ABC News said some improvement was in store for the Northeast and Midwest leading into Memorial Day, even though the broader wet pattern remained in place across the East. (cbsnews.com) A Yahoo weather report similarly said warmer and drier conditions were expected to sweep from west to east across the Northeast during the day Monday, with morning rain closer to the coast clearing later in many spots. (nbcphiladelphia.com) 6abc in Philadelphia said Memorial Day would turn more humid, with some rain still possible before brighter and warmer weather returned by midweek. ### What did the weather look like in the West? KESQ said the Coachella Valley was expected to stay warm and dry through the holiday period, with highs in the upper 90s and some spots nearing triple digits. The station said the weekend would bring plenty of sunshine and only seasonal breezes. (abcnews.com) The regional split was stark: while eastern travelers dealt with rain, storm chances and localized flood watches, western destinations were forecast to remain largely dry through Memorial Day. (6abc.com) ABC News said the South would continue to see scattered rain and thunderstorms into the new work week, while KESQ's forecast pointed to stable holiday weather in the California desert. (kesq.com) ### What comes next after Memorial Day? AccuWeather said warmer and drier weather was expected to return to the Northeast after the holiday weekend, while CBS Philadelphia said sunshine should make more of a return in the second half of the week. In the Coachella Valley, KESQ said temperatures were expected to cool into the lower 90s by Tuesday. (accuweather.com) (abcnews.com)