Halloween storm to soak trick-or-treaters, raise flood risk from southern Plains to Ohio Valley

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

October 28, 2018, 4:41:06 PM EDT

Soaking rain and thunderstorms will threaten to not only disrupt Halloween plans, but also cause localized flooding across part of the Central states around midweek.

People from the southern Plains to the Ohio Valley may feel like Mother Nature is giving out more tricks than treats this year.

"Those hoping to go trick-or-treating Wednesday evening from eastern Texas to Ohio will have plans ruined by heavy rain and even a few thunderstorms," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

Waterproof shoes, umbrellas or a clear plastic poncho will likely be needed for any ghosts and goblins roaming the neighborhoods in Dallas and Houston; Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Paducah and Lexington, Kentucky; and Cincinnati.

Roadways and sidewalks may be extra slick where the rain dampens fallen leaves.

The soggy conditions may force some communities to reschedule or cancel Halloween festivities.

“Several inches of rain will fall, which can lead to flash flooding,” Rathbun said.

Motorists will need to use extreme caution as the downpours will reduce visibility, making it difficult to see trick-or-treaters.

Flooded roadways are also possible, especially where storm drains are blocked by leaves.

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“Parents will want to keep up-to-date on the forecast in the south-central zone as there is a chance of a few of the storms becoming severe from eastern Texas to Louisiana,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

While lightning flashes will add to the spooky feel of the evening, they will create dangers for anyone outside.

Seek shelter inside a building or in a hard-top vehicle as soon as thunder is heard or lightning is seen.

Damaging wind gusts can accompany the dangerous lightning strikes across the southern tier.

Download the AccuWeather app to know exactly when rain and storms will arrive and end in your area.

Meanwhile, enough cold air could funnel in farther west to make for a wintry scene across the Colorado and southern Rockies from Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The heavy rain and storms will rumble slowly eastward on Thursday.

While the southern Plains dry out, heavy rain and locally severe storms will sweep into the Southeast, as downpours continue to soak the Ohio Valley.

Michael cleanup efforts could be disrupted for a time.

There can be an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 6 inches where rain falls on both Wednesday and Thursday, generally from portions of Arkansas to western Tennessee, Kentucky and southern Indiana and Ohio.

While part of this corridor has received less-than-normal rainfall so far in October, too much rain can fall too quickly and cause flooding issues.

Much cooler and drier air will move in across the South as the storm departs, according to Rathbun.