Soggy Memorial Day for Northeast, Midwest

Memorial Day travel on Monday was unfolding under two different national patterns: rain and thunderstorms across much of the eastern half of the United States, and warmer, drier weather along the West Coast. The National Weather Service said a wet holiday weekend was in store for the East, with widespread rainfall of 1 to more than 2 inches expected from the Gulf Coast to southern New England. ABC News reported that the Northeast and Midwest were not expected to be total washouts, with some improvement heading into Memorial Day. AAA said fuel prices were adding pressure for drivers, with the national average for regular gasoline at $4.56 a gallon heading into the weekend. ### Where was the rain concentrated? The National Weather Service said the wettest stretch extended from the Gulf Coast into southern New England over the holiday weekend. Its forecast called for widespread rainfall totals of 1 to more than 2 inches across parts of the East, while the Weather Prediction Center said wet, stormy and unsettled weather would continue for much of the eastern half of the country through Tuesday. ABC News reported that the soggy pattern was expected to keep conditions cool and damp in the Northeast and Midwest, but that improvement was likely by Memorial Day rather than a complete washout. (weather.gov) The same report said scattered rain and thunderstorms were expected to linger in the South into the new work week. ### Was air travel being disrupted? Severe thunderstorms in Texas caused major airline disruption before the holiday weekend, including hundreds of cancellations and delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. (weather.gov) Men’s Journal, citing flight-tracker data, reported that storms swept across Texas on May 19 and disrupted operations at one of the country’s busiest hubs. Separate reporting said American Airlines had more than 300 cancellations worldwide as the FAA intervened at its main hub. (abcnews.com) The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System status page was showing active airport-status information on Monday, underscoring that weather and operational constraints were still affecting traffic flows. The upstream travel briefing also cited reports that thunderstorms and tornado threats had contributed to delays at multiple U.S. airports. ### What did the weather look like outside the East? The West Coast was expected to stay dry during the holiday period, according to the upstream reporting, while the National Weather Service said well-above-normal temperatures were building across the northern Plains. (travel.yahoo.com) That split left travelers in the West dealing more with heat and holiday volume than with repeated rain interruptions. Yahoo and other syndicated forecast reports also described a gradual west-to-east drying trend for parts of the Northeast on Monday, with morning rain closer to the coast giving way to better conditions later in the day in some areas. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### How expensive was the drive? AAA said on May 21 that Memorial Day weekend gas prices were the highest they had been in four years. (weather.gov) The group said the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at $4.56, up 3 cents from the previous week and $1.38 from a year earlier. AAA’s daily tracker showed the national average at $4.515 on May 24. Forbes, citing GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, reported that prices were unlikely to fall quickly even if supply conditions improved. (yahoo.com) Other reports said the high fuel costs were not expected to stop heavy holiday driving. ### What should travelers watch next? Monday, May 25, remains the key travel day for return trips and holiday events, with the National Weather Service and Weather Prediction Center continuing to publish forecast updates for rain in the East. (gasprices.aaa.com) The FAA’s airport-status page is also providing live operating information for major hubs as weather-related disruptions move through the system. (weather.gov) (forbes.com)