Meteorologist Ryan Hall warned that a rare May storm system is about to create several very different hazards across the country, with severe thunderstorms and flash flooding threatening parts of the South while heavy, wet snow piles up in the Rockies.
Hall, host of the weather channel Ryan Hall, Y’all, said the setup is part of an ugly spring pattern that will make the week feel more like multiple seasons crashing into each other at once. In the Tuesday-through-Thursday storm window, the system is expected to bring hail, damaging winds, tornado risk, flooding rain, travel problems, and power outages.
“A rare May snowstorm is about to slam the Rockies while severe thunderstorms and flash flooding threaten the central and southern U.S.,” Hall said in the forecast.
Tuesday Brings Severe Storm Risk From Texas To Arkansas
Hall said Tuesday’s severe weather setup puts more than 6.5 million people in the risk zone, with the Storm Prediction Center placing a slight risk over northeast Texas, Arkansas, and southeast Missouri.
He said some elevated storms may be possible early Tuesday, but the main severe weather window should come during the afternoon and evening as a cold front drops into the region and meets a sharp dry line.
That clash, Hall explained, will happen under intense upper-level winds, helping create the kind of environment where thunderstorms can grow quickly once they begin.
The atmosphere will also feature steep lapse rates, meaning the air cools rapidly with height. Hall said that can allow storm updrafts to rise fast and hard, giving storms the strength to produce large hail and powerful winds.
According to Hall, golf ball-sized hail will be possible, and that kind of hail can easily shatter windshields or damage cars sitting outside.
“If you’ve got a car parked outside in Shreveport or Texarkana, get it in the garage tonight,” Hall said. “The hail is going to be no joke.”
The Dallas-Fort Worth area sits on the western edge of the highest risk, Hall said, and storms may fire near or over the metroplex during the evening commute before moving out quickly. Even if the worst storms do not sit over Dallas for long, the timing alone could create problems for drivers trying to get home.
A Nighttime Tornado Threat Could Make Tuesday More Dangerous
Hall said Tuesday’s storm threat is not limited to hail and wind. He also pointed to a 5% tornado risk, especially if storms can remain discrete, or separated from one another, during the first few hours before they merge into a larger line.
That detail matters because isolated supercells can have a better chance of rotating and producing tornadoes, while a messy line tends to shift the threat more toward damaging winds.
Once the storms merge into a line, Hall said they may race east at nearly 60 mph, which would make the damaging wind threat more serious. A storm moving at highway speed can arrive quickly, giving people less time to react if warnings are issued.
Hall also gave a special warning to people planning Cinco de Mayo events Tuesday night anywhere in the slight-risk zone, saying outdoor plans should move indoors because some storms may roll in after dark.
He said anyone from Dallas-Fort Worth through Little Rock should have a strong shelter plan, especially because tornado warnings at night are harder for people to notice if they are asleep or away from their phones.
That is one of the quieter dangers in a setup like this. A daytime storm can be seen building on the horizon, but a nighttime storm often arrives with little visual warning, leaving people dependent on alerts, sirens, and weather radios.
Wednesday Could Bring Trouble To The Deep South
Hall said the same front will keep marching east after Tuesday, putting roughly 8 million people from East Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in the next round of risk on Wednesday.
Storms are expected to build Wednesday afternoon before sweeping through the Tennessee and lower Mississippi valleys overnight, according to Hall.
He said rich Gulf moisture will spread north ahead of the advancing cold front, acting like high-octane fuel for thunderstorms. However, he also said there is less confidence in the Wednesday forecast because a cap in the atmosphere may hold back storm development in some areas.
That cap could limit how many storms form, but Hall warned that if it breaks over Mississippi and storms pop up ahead of the main line, the setup could become much more serious.
Wind shear may push 65 knots, he said, which is enough to get supercells spinning.
“The main threat will probably still be a messy line of storms cranking out 60 mph wind gusts,” Hall said, while adding that any discrete supercells near Jackson or Birmingham could bring a higher tornado threat.
That is the kind of forecast that can change quickly because the difference between a capped atmosphere and one that breaks open is enormous. If storms remain mostly linear, damaging wind may dominate, but if a few storms get ahead of the line and rotate, the tornado danger can rise in a hurry.
Hall described Wednesday night as loud, windy, and potentially dangerous across the Deep South, urging people not to let their guard down simply because the system is moving.
Flooding Rain May Become A Major Issue
Hall said wind, hail, and tornadoes are not the only concerns on Wednesday. Heavy rain could become a serious problem, especially across the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachians.
He pointed to a slight risk for excessive rainfall in the interior Southeast, saying a wave of energy dropping out of Canada will meet a deep plume of tropical moisture and wring out heavy rain over the region.
Moisture levels will be higher than usual for May, Hall said, making the storms very efficient rainmakers.
Some areas could see 1.5 to 3 inches of rain, with isolated totals near 4 inches in a short amount of time. That is enough to turn low-lying roads into rivers quickly, especially in places where the ground cannot handle a sudden burst of water.
Hall said the southern Appalachians worry him most because heavy rain funnels into creeks and streams quickly in the mountains.
“It takes about half as much rain to cause double the problem,” Hall said of that terrain.
This is a good reminder that severe weather is not only about tornadoes. Flooding kills quietly and often catches people during normal routines, when roads that looked passable an hour earlier suddenly become dangerous.
A Rare May Snowstorm Hits The Rockies
Hall then shifted to what he called one of the weirder weather stories of the year: a rare May snowstorm in the Rockies, tied to the same broader storm system.
He said more than 4 million people were under winter weather alerts, with the potential for more than a foot of snow in the mountains. What began as a winter storm watch in Colorado and Wyoming had become a winter storm warning, and Hall said areas near Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow Range could exceed 2 feet of snow.
The bullseye is expected to fall across the central Rockies and high plains, including the I-25 corridor from Cheyenne through Fort Collins and Denver.
Hall said the heaviest snow should fall late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, driven by a cutoff low moving across the Southwest while cold Canadian air drops into the Front Range.
Even though it is May, Hall said the snow will not be just a scenic mountain dusting. Temperatures will crash overnight, and the heaviest snow rates may be enough to allow snow to pile up on pavement.
Lower elevations could see 2 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow, which Hall described as dense and concrete-like.
That is especially concerning because trees have already leafed out for spring. Wet snow collecting on leaves can weigh down limbs and bring branches crashing onto roads and power lines.
Hall said he expects widespread power outages in the hardest-hit areas.
Denver’s Wednesday Commute Could Be A Mess
Hall warned that travel may become dangerous across parts of Colorado and Wyoming, especially through the mountains and along key highways.
He said drivers on I-70 through the mountains and I-25 near the Palmer Divide may encounter near-zero visibility and treacherous slushy conditions.
“The Wednesday morning commute in Denver is going to be an absolute mess,” Hall said, advising people to work from home if they can.
For anyone planning to attend the Mets-Rockies game at Coors Field on Wednesday afternoon, Hall said they should dress like it is January, with freezing temperatures and accumulating snow possible.
That line captures how unusual this setup is. It says May on the calendar, but the Rockies often follow their own rules, and Hall made clear that this system has enough cold air and moisture to create real winter impacts.
By Thursday, he said, accumulating wet snow and gusty winds will move east into the central high plains, including eastern Colorado, southeast Wyoming, and even northwest Kansas.
Snow levels may crash below 6,000 feet by early Wednesday morning, making travel along I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne very difficult. Hall also warned places in the 3,000-to-5,000-foot elevation range, such as Wheatland and Kimball, to watch for heavy rain changing to slushy accumulating snow.
He said people in the region should treat Thursday morning like a mid-January blizzard, not a spring road trip.
A Beautiful Break For The Pacific Northwest
Not every part of Hall’s forecast was stormy.
He said Seattle, Portland, and Eugene are about to see one of their best weather days of the year on Wednesday, as a strong ridge parks over the West Coast, clears out clouds, and locks in dry air.
The morning marine layer should burn off quickly, leaving clear skies and afternoon highs pushing 80 degrees inland, while the immediate coast stays cooler and mistier with highs in the 60s.
Hall described the inland valleys as nearly perfect for hiking, outdoor patios, and other spring activities, though he warned that the UV index may climb to around 7 or 8.
It is a strange contrast: while Colorado deals with wet snow and the South watches for storms, the Pacific Northwest may enjoy one of the nicest days it has seen all year.
That is spring in one map, and it is part of why this system is so interesting. The same broad pattern can deliver a winter storm, a tornado threat, a flood setup, and patio weather, depending on where someone lives.
Southwest Heat Builds Next
Looking farther out, Hall said the Southwest is heading toward a different kind of extreme.
Phoenix may climb into the triple digits by Friday, and Hall said that may be only the beginning. A large heat dome is forecast to build over the southwestern United States next week, bringing a moderate risk for extreme heat to the Desert Southwest and California’s Central Valley.
Hall said the record-threatening heat could lock in from Monday, May 11, into midweek as a strong ridge traps sinking air over the region.
He warned people heading to EDC in Las Vegas that the heat could remain dangerous even after sunset, urging them to hydrate aggressively. He also said the Sacramento Valley has a 60% chance of reaching 95 degrees by the weekend.
For California and the Southwest, Hall said the region may be skipping over spring and heading into the most dangerous heat of the year so far.
Taken together, Hall’s forecast shows a country split between hazards: severe storms and flooding in the South, heavy snow in the Rockies, pleasant warmth in the Pacific Northwest, and building heat in the Southwest.
The rare May storm may not bring the same threat to every region, but where it does hit, Hall made clear that it could cause real problems from Tuesday through Thursday.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
