According to AccuWeather meteorologists, thunderstorms that develop and impact various areas of the central, southern, and eastern United States have the potential to become severe through Saturday. The summerlike temperatures over the northern Plains may stop next week due to strong storms.
From central Mississippi northeastward to much of West Virginia and Virginia, a wide area is predicted to see heavy to perhaps severe thunderstorms through Thursday night. This covers regions that are still recuperating from last season’s Hurricane Helene.
High wind gusts, large hail, and flash floods in cities and along small streams will be the primary threats to life and property during these storms.
Lightning strikes can happen suddenly or with little warning. The National Lightning Safety Council reports that two lightning-related deaths have already occurred in the United States in 2025.
Strong gusts of wind have the potential to shatter tree branches and endanger those below. Financial losses may arise from power surges and extended power outages caused by the storms.
Midafternoon to midevening is when the majority of these thunderstorms will be most active. Travelers should anticipate lengthy delays at the major hubs of Atlanta and Charlotte, which will probably have an impact on regional connecting flights into Thursday night.
A region of stronger thunderstorms is expected to impact the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and Mexico into Thursday night, further to the southwest.
“The storms in this sector will have the potential to produce powerful wind gusts by way of large, destructive downbursts,” Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist with AccuWeather, stated. “Where the storms repeat, there can be dangerous flash flooding as well.”
Large hail and even a few tornadoes might be produced by some of the Rio Grande Valley’s strongest thunderstorms.
The threat of severe weather over South Texas will have passed by Friday. Nonetheless, a large portion of the southern Atlantic Seaboard is likely to experience at least strong, gusty thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening.
From southeast Virginia to much of the Florida Panhandle and the northeastern portion of the Florida Peninsula, storms with the potential to produce disruptive heavy downpours and gusty winds will be present.
Further west, a few strong, gusty thunderstorms might also pass through the central Gulf coast, the lower Mississippi Valley, and even a tiny portion of the southern Plains.
A slow-moving region of low pressure over the Southern states is predicted to produce locally heavy and gusty thunderstorms on its eastern and southern flanks over the course of the Mother’s Day weekend, at the latest. On Saturday, this zone might only cover a limited portion of the southern Atlantic coast; on Sunday, it might spread farther to the west and north.
