This REALLY HARD Storm will Crush Weather Records...

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Mother's Day weekend is here, and unfortunately, it's not coming in quietly. We've got severe thunderstorms, tornado threats, damaging winds, large hail, and flooding rain all on the table across the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast over the next couple of days. And then, just when you think the story ends there, we've got frost and freeze conditions threatening gardens across the Upper Midwest, a heat wave building out west, and a really interesting pattern shift coming in the second and third week of May that I think a lot of you are going to be relieved to hear about. So, let's get into it. There's a lot to cover today. Let's start with what's happening right now today, Saturday, May 9th. The Gulf Coast is already dealing with heavy rainfall this morning. Houston, Beaumont, New Orleans, Mobile, these areas have been seeing persistent heavy downpours, and that theme continues through today.

[00:00:48]Meanwhile, up across the northern tier of the country, from Montana through the Dakotas, the Twin Cities, and into western Wisconsin, there are some lighter nuisance showers moving through this morning. Nothing severe up there, but enough to be annoying if you had outdoor plans. The breeziest conditions today are across the Rockies and Upper Midwest, where northwest flow is still pumping in that cool Canadian air. Now, here's the big question everyone is asking about Saturday. Are we going to see severe weather today? The answer is possibly, but it's conditional. There is a cap on the atmosphere across portions of the Southern Plains today, meaning that layer of warm air aloft is acting like a lid and suppressing storm development. If that cap holds, we'll see mostly low clouds, maybe a stray shower or storm, and nothing too dramatic. But, if the cap breaks, and with afternoon heating across Oklahoma and North Texas, that is absolutely possible, severe thunderstorms will develop, and they'll develop quickly.

[00:01:46]The highlighted risk area today stretches from southwest Oklahoma into far North Texas, with isolated severe storm chances extending along the Gulf Coast and up into Kansas and down toward Dallas-Fort Worth. Damaging winds and hail are the main threats if storms do fire with an isolated tornado not completely out of the question. So, keep a radar app within reach today if you're in any of those areas. By the way, if you'd like specific weather forecasts for your region or city, please leave them in the comments. I'll answer them individually as time allows. Also, if you like the video and subscribe to my channel, you'd be very grateful. Now, let's move on. Now, let's talk about Sunday, Mother's Day, because this is the day I really want you to pay attention to. Sunday is shaping up to be a legitimately dangerous severe weather day across portions of the southern plains. And if you have outdoor plans anywhere from North Texas through Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, or the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, you need to be weather aware going into the afternoon. Here's why this setup concerns me. The storm energy, what meteorologists call instability, building across the southern plains on Sunday afternoon is substantial. We're talking 3,000 to 4,000 J per kilogram in some areas. To put that in perspective, that is an explosive amount of storm fuel. When thunderstorms tap into an environment like that, they don't gradually intensify. They go severe fast. We're potentially looking at supercell thunderstorms developing across Oklahoma and North Texas in the afternoon hours. And supercells in that kind of environment are capable of producing all hazards, large and very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes. Here's how Sunday likely plays out. The day starts with a possible complex of storms near the Tulsa area, though the exact positioning could shift a bit, so keep checking your local forecast as we get closer. Through the afternoon, daytime heating really cranks up across North Texas, especially around Dallas-Fort Worth. And that heating combined with the rich moisture in place is going to provide the trigger for supercell development just to the north in Oklahoma.

[00:03:56]Those individual storm cells in the afternoon are the ones capable of producing tornadoes, so that is the window to be most vigilant. Sunday afternoon into the early evening.

[00:04:06]Then, as we go into Sunday evening, those storms will likely consolidate into a line, and that line will sweep southward through east and central Texas into southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and potentially as far east as Mississippi. Once storms organize into a line like that, the tornado threat decreases somewhat, but the straight-line wind threat goes up significantly. We're talking wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph possible with this line as it moves through Sunday evening. Any storms that stay out ahead of the main line could still be tornadic, so the threat doesn't entirely go away even as the setup evolves. Bottom line for Mother's Day, have a plan. Know where your shelter is. Have a reliable weather app on your phone. If you're hosting an outdoor brunch or dinner, keep an eye on the timing and be ready to move indoors quickly. The afternoon hours are the most dangerous window, but this threat lingers into the evening. Now, let's talk rainfall because flooding is also a real concern this weekend. Looking at totals through Monday morning, the heaviest rainfall by far is focused near the Gulf Coast. New Orleans, Gulfport, Mobile, Panama City. These areas are looking at 2 to 3 in of rain, and some spots could see more than that depending on how storms train over the same locations. There is actually a slight risk for excessive rainfall, meaning scattered flash flooding is possible near and north of New Orleans toward Gulfport and close to the mouth of the Mississippi River. That is an area to watch closely over the next 24 hours.

[00:05:31]Lighter, but still meaningful rainfall extends northward and westward into Oklahoma, north Texas, and the Red River Valley with some amounts reaching over toward Georgia as well. Turn around, don't drown. I'll never stop saying it.

[00:05:44]Flooded roads are not worth the risk.

[00:05:46]You don't know how deep the water is.

[00:05:48]You don't know if the road surface underneath is still intact, and no trip is worth gambling your life on. Let's pivot to temperatures because there's a frost and freeze story developing that gardeners across the upper Midwest really need to hear. This morning is already chilly across the northern states, and it's going to stay that way through the weekend. Saturday afternoon brings 50s and 60s across the northern tier. Refreshing on a good day, but for early May, it's just flat-out cold. Down in Florida, Texas, and the desert Southwest, it's a completely different world with 90s and triple digits in the desert. Sunday, Mother's Day itself, actually looks pretty decent temperature-wise for a lot of the country. The 50s to the north, comfortable 60s and 70s through the middle of the country, and 80s and 90s across the south. It's not going to feel like summer, but it's not going to feel brutal either for most people. So, if severe weather isn't impacting your specific area on Sunday, the temperatures at least should be reasonably pleasant. But, here's the frost and freeze warning I mentioned.

[00:06:47]And if you've already started your garden, please pay attention. Saturday morning brings frost and freeze conditions to North Dakota, northern Minnesota, and especially up into Maine and the northeast. And then Sunday morning, Mother's Day morning, that frost and freeze threat expands significantly. We're looking at widespread frost and freeze conditions across Wisconsin, northern Michigan, Minnesota, both Dakotas, and Wyoming.

[00:07:13]Monday morning, it's back again across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. If you have sensitive plants, seedlings, or anything in the ground that can't handle a freeze, you need to cover them up this weekend. Do not wait. Three consecutive mornings of frost risk in that region is going to do real damage to unprotected vegetation. The good news, and there is genuinely good news here, is that by the middle of next week, those overnight lows start warming up, and we should be done with the frost and freeze threat for a while. Now, let's zoom out and talk about what's coming after Mother's Day because the pattern is about to make a significant shift that most of you have been waiting for. Starting around Monday, May 11th, that stubborn, relentless trough that has been locked over Hudson Bay and the northeastern US for the better part of 2 weeks is finally going to begin breaking down. A ridge of high pressure is going to shift eastward into the central United States, and that means something we haven't seen much of lately. Sunshine, warmth, and a drier stretch for the central and western US. Between roughly May 11th and 18th, the western US goes largely dry under that dominant ridge. The central and eastern US will still see some storm systems sneaking around the edges.

[00:08:24]Monday into Tuesday could bring some showers and rumbles of thunder to the Midwest and Ohio Valley, though nothing severe at that point. Then, around midweek, another system drops in from the northwest, bringing some higher elevation snow to the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, Alberta, before eventually sliding into the Midwest later in the week. This one has a bit more severe weather potential attached to it, particularly across portions of Oklahoma and Missouri as instability starts to build ahead of it. And then next weekend, May 16th and 17th, there's another strong storm system sliding through southern Canada with a cold front extending into the southern plains. That setup has the potential for stronger storms across the central plains, the Missouri Valley, and the southern plains. We'll be watching that one closely, but the bigger story in the back half of May is the heat. That ridge continuing to push eastward means that by the middle and end of next week, temperatures across Texas, Oklahoma, and the west are going to surge. We could be looking at record highs in some areas.

[00:09:25]The heat wave that's been building in the desert southwest over the last week isn't going anywhere, and it's going to intensify as that ridge deepens. Triple digits, potentially record-setting temperatures across the southwest and into the southern plains by around May 13th through 15th. Then looking further out from roughly May 18th through the 25th, that ridge continues trekking eastward into the eastern US. Warmer temperatures start spreading into the central and eastern parts of the country. There's also a potential cutoff low developing off the California coast that could eventually transform into a trough pivoting into the Southwest, which would shift the ridge further east and actually open up some moisture for Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest looks to stay on the dry side through late May, which is a continuing concern for drought conditions out there. And if I look all the way out into early June, the Midwest is looking at a persistently wet pattern. Rain chances stacking up through that first week of June and potentially even toward mid-June. For those of you in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, your lawns are going to be growing like crazy. The mowing season is going to be relentless.

[00:10:36]Consider this your heads-up. So, here's the big picture summary heading into Mother's Day weekend and beyond. Today has conditional severe weather potential across Oklahoma and North Texas. Watch that cap. Sunday is the most dangerous day of the weekend with supercell thunderstorms and tornado potential across Oklahoma and North Texas in the afternoon transitioning to a damaging wind threat Sunday evening as storms line up. The Gulf Coast is dealing with heavy rainfall and flooding risk through the weekend. Frost and freeze threatens gardens across the upper Midwest all the way through Monday morning. And then after Mother's Day, the pattern begins to warm and dry out across the central US with a more active severe weather window emerging again around May 16th and 17th and a significant heat wave building across the southern plains and west. Stay weather aware this Mother's Day weekend. Enjoy the time with family, but keep that radar app close, especially Sunday afternoon. We'll be here tracking every update as it develops. Stay safe out there.