More Severe Weather Impacted the Plains Memorial Day Weekend | The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel

Severe Weather

After a very active week of severe weather and flooding last week, more of the same occurred through the Memorial Day weekend.

ByBrian DoneganMay 31, 2016


Tornadoes Are More Powerful Than We Realize


After a very active week of severe weather and flooding last week, more severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds, heavy downpours and tornadoes impacted the Plains through the Memorial Day weekend.

Weather in your inbox
By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

(LATEST NEWS: 6 Dead, At Least 2 Missing as Flooding Soaks the Plains)

Severe Setup

The northern and southern branches of the jet stream interacted right through Memorial Day, with a series of disturbances riding along them and acting as a trigger for thunderstorms, some of which reached severe limits.

In addition, a persistent south-southeasterly wind flow drew in plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, yielding more heavy rain and flash flooding over the same areas that dealt with historic flooding last week.

(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)

Monday's Storm Reports

Three landspout tornadoes were reported Monday afternoon between Sterling, Colorado, and Sidney, Nebraska. One of the landspouts completely destroyed a farm workshop building near Peetz, Colorado, but fortunately no injuries were reported.

(MORE: 8 Amazing Images from the Peetz, Colorado, Landspout)



A one-mile stretch of Highway 2 near Emerado, North Dakota, became covered with hail Monday afternoon, making for slippery travel. In fact, at least one car went into a ditch on that portion of the highway due to the weather conditions.

Sunday's Storm Reports

Flash flooding was reported in Amarillo, Texas, Sunday evening, on Texas Highway 468 near Amarillo International Airport after a thunderstorm dumped very heavy rainfall over the area.

Additionally, hail covered roadways in Briscoe, Texas, with hail also reported in other parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. There was also one report of a tornado briefly touching down near Elbert, Texas, Sunday evening.

Flooding was also reported in Baird, Texas Sunday night where severe water rescues were conducted and some homes were partially flooded.

Snapped An Awesome Shot? Share Your Photo!

If you crave pictures of severe weather, you've found your home here. Upload your photos or video (taking care to only take photos and videos from a safe location) to us and share your experience!

(PHOTO/VIDEO GALLERIES: Severe | Storms)

PHOTOS: Plains Severe Storms May 24-26, 2016


Slideshow

1/119

State Highway 6 in Eastland County, Texas, was washed out by floodwaters on June 2, 2016, effectively shutting down the roadway. Engineers with the Texas Department of Transportation were dispatched to the area the following day to assess the damage.