President Joe Biden declared an emergency in the state of Vermont early Tuesday following catastrophic rainfall and damage that is “nowhere near over,” according to Vermont Governor Phil Scott.
New England can expect a return to heavy rain by Thursday after facing up to 9-inch droplets on Monday. Other parts of the U.S. could take the same turn throughout the week.
More severe weather and flash flooding will persist across the Plains and the Midwest over the next few days, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, south-central and the Southwest regions could face abnormal hot summer weather with heat indices near 110 degrees, the NWS reports.
Here’s the forecast for Wednesday:
Midwest and Lower Mississippi Valley brace for flash flood risks
Chances of heavy rain is high for parts of the Midwest and Lower Mississippi Valley thanks to two frontal boundaries, according to the NWS. With numerous thunderstorms comes the risk for flash flooding.
The Midwest and the central Plains can expect possible clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms, the NWS reports. The scattered flash flooding in the eastern Missouri Valley and western Iowa will continue Wednesday from the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes. By Thursday, it is forecasted to be the Ohio Valley to central Plains’ turn.
New England faces return to flooding after Vermont’s historic rainfall
Still recovering from a record breaking flood, New England can expect more showers and thunderstorms by Thursday due to an approaching cold front and elevated atmospheric moisture, the NWS predicts. The Weather Prediction Center has placed a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall in effect for most of Vermont, eastern New York, and New Hampshire for Thursday. A few extra inches of rainfall are possible further increasing flooding concerns.
Southeast New Mexico, Texas Panhandle forecast to break heat records
Above average temperatures will span the Southwest to the central Plains/Mid-Mississippi Valley through the midweek, according to the NWS. Highs in the Southwest and southern High Plains are set to reach the triple digits.
The NWS reports Southeast New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle could break daily maximum temperature records starting Wednesday. Afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s are forecast throughout the rest of the central/southern Plains and the lower/middle Mississippi Valley through Thursday, with heat indices near 110 degrees.
The Desert Southwest continues to have excessive heat warnings while heat advisories span southern New Mexico into southwest Louisiana and the Mid-South, the NWS shows. The Gulf Coast and Florida Peninsula will face more oppressive heat during daytime while the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast braces for hot but not necessarily hazardous heat on Wednesday.
