A cold front draped across the eastern two-thirds of the country is firing scattered severe thunderstorms from Oklahoma to the Carolina coast, and anyone driving I-10, I-20, I-35, or I-95 through Sunday evening should plan around them.
The Storm Prediction Center has a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) running from the southern Plains east-southeast into the northern Gulf Coast states, plus a separate zone across the Southeast where South Carolina carries the highest odds. Damaging straight-line wind is the headline hazard, but slow-moving downpours mean flash flooding is right behind it.
The greatest danger lies Sunday afternoon through late evening across South Carolina and the northern Gulf Coast, where near-stationary storms can pair 60 to 70 mph wind gusts with flash-flooding rain on the same stretch of highway.
What to Expect
- Damaging wind gusts. The severe threshold is 58 mph, and the most organized cells and line segments can push above 70 mph, strong enough to snap limbs, down trees, and knock out power. The corridor of concern runs from central Oklahoma and the ArkLaTex southeast toward the northern Gulf Coast.
- Flash flooding. Storms are moving slowly and, in spots, training over the same ground. Rain rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour can drive localized totals of 2 to 4 inches, enough to exceed flash-flood guidance, which is the basis for the Weather Prediction Center Slight Risk from Texas into the central Gulf Coast.
- Isolated large hail. A few of the stronger updrafts can produce hail around an inch or larger.
- Frequent lightning. Every storm in this setup carries a lightning risk, a real hazard for anyone outdoors or on the water.
Road Conditions
Expect sudden drops in visibility as storms cross the interstates, with heavy spray and standing water on low-lying stretches of I-95, I-10, and I-20. Ponding at underpasses and poorly drained interchanges is the classic flash-flood trap. Wind gusts can blow debris and downed limbs into travel lanes and knock out signals at surface intersections. Never drive through water covering the road; even a few inches can float a vehicle, and the depth is almost impossible to judge at night.
Southern Plains to the Gulf Coast
The front’s western anchor sits over Oklahoma and the ArkLaTex, where a very moist airmass and strong instability support clusters of storms capable of severe gusts into the evening and overnight. As the boundary settles south, the focus tips toward the Gulf Coast, and by Monday the Weather Prediction Center carries a Slight Risk for excessive rainfall from Texas into the central Gulf Coast. A more prolonged heavy-rain setup then builds over west and central Texas, including the Edwards Plateau, Big Bend, and Hill Country, midweek, so drivers on I-10 and I-20 across Texas should watch the trend.
Severe-Storm Driving Tips
- Check the Storm Prediction Center outlook and radar before you leave, and delay departure if a line is bearing down on your route.
- If gusts and blinding rain hit while you are driving, pull well off the road into a safe area, put on your hazards, and wait it out rather than crawling along in zero visibility.
- Turn around, don’t drown. Skip any flooded roadway, underpass, or dip, and never chase a gap between vehicles through standing water.
- Build in extra time and following distance; hydroplaning risk spikes in the first minutes of heavy rain as oil lifts off the pavement.
- Keep a charged phone and let someone know your route if you are covering long rural stretches of the Plains or Gulf Coast.
Timing
- Sunday afternoon into evening: Southeast and Carolinas, with the highest severe potential across South Carolina; storms mostly firing between mid-afternoon and late evening.
- Sunday night into Monday morning: Storm clusters shift from Oklahoma and the ArkLaTex southeast toward the northern Gulf Coast.
- Monday into Tuesday: Focus turns to flash flooding from Texas into the central Gulf Coast.
- Behind the front: Relief is brief. The Climate Prediction Center shows dangerous heat holding across the north-central US and spreading east, with Major to Extreme HeatRisk from the Dakotas to the Midwest into next week.
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