Rounds of rain to bring flood threat and drought relief for the South

By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist

Updated Oct. 28, 2019 3:01 PM

An influx of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to the Deep South and Southeast midweek.

Beneficial showers and thunderstorms are expected to blossom across the drought-stricken Southeast on Tuesday as a wave of energy tracks northward out of the Gulf of Mexico. Areas from the Florida Panhandle into the Carolinas can expect the rainfall to aid with drought relief.

Pensacola, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina, are all currently dealing with severe drought. Extended summerlike conditions through September into early October quickly expanded drought conditions across this region.

Beneficial rainfall will continue across the Southeast into Wednesday and Thursday as Gulf moisture will continue to produce showers and thunderstorms across the Southeast.

While most of the wet weather will be confined to the Southeast Tuesday, an approaching storm system tracking through the center of the country will bring rainfall to a wider swath of the Deep South and southern Plains Wednesday.

Farther north, this same storm system is expected to bring accumulating snow to portions of the Midwest.

The midweek storm system will bring along a flood threat for places like Tupelo, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, beginning Wednesday.

"These same areas got hit hard with rainfall from Tropical Rainstorm Olga at the start of [last] weekend, so an additional 1-3 inches of rain across these areas could trigger flooding issues." AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliot stated.

Travelers along interstates 10, 20, 22, 30, 40, 55, 75 and all others in between may have to deal with episodes of reduced visibility, ponding on the roadways and slower speeds courtesy of the expected rainfall.

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The storm system will continue to track eastward on Halloween, bringing an end to the rain for some once a cold front rolls through.

Across the South, the best chance for a dry night of trick-or-treating will be for areas west of the Mississippi River.

Although a stray shower may linger across southern Louisiana and the Texas Gulf coast, activity should come to an end rather quickly during the evening.

The dry weather will come at a price though across the South Halloween night. Cold air rushing in behind the storm system will send temperatures tumbling through the 40s and 30s as far south as Houston. Plan ahead by wearing a jacket and hat to stay warm outside.

Farther east, many people across the Southeast should plan for wet weather during their Halloween festivities. Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; even as far east as Columbia, South Carolina, should all plan on the possibility of needing rain gear Thursday evening.

The wet weather will come to an end across most of the southern United States Friday as the storm system tracks off the Atlantic coastline. Dry and cool conditions are expected across the South Friday and into the weekend.

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