Memorial Day weekend travel and celebrations may be disrupted by dangerous storms across the US.
“Violent” tornadoes with wind gusts exceeding 90 miles per hour are likely in Oklahoma and Kansas on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Softball-sized hail is also possible in the region.
Throughout the central US, “very large hail, hurricane-force gusts, and strong tornadoes are all possible” this weekend, the NWS forecasts.
Areas of several states, including Texas and New Mexico, are also facing extreme fire danger this weekend due to high winds, low humidity and ongoing drought conditions, the NWS said.
Meanwhile, severe thunderstorms bringing 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts hit Iowa and Illinois throughout Friday. Flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport were on an average delay of one hour thanks to the thunderstorms, according to FlightAware.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts this weekend will bring the busiest Memorial Day travel in 19 years, with some 43.8m people traveling at least 50 miles.
Thursday’s storms in the northeastern US prompted travel chaos in New York’s airports.
New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport had almost 700 delays and 90 cancellations throughout Thursday.