Rain and flooding could dampen Memorial Day weekend in the South

Wet weather could dampen Memorial Day for those in the South, with strong storms, flash flooding and high temperatures possible throughout the holiday weekend.

Cooler than average conditions are expected across the Midwest and Northeast, with warmer than average conditions in the South and the West.

On Friday, the nor'easter that reached the East Coast earlier in the week will be exiting the Northeast, with lingering showers remaining.

Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are possible from the Nebraska Panhandle to Arkansas on Friday, with this slight risk looming over these areas in the evening and overnight hours going into Saturday.

On Saturday, a slight risk for severe weather stretches from Wichita Falls, Texas, to Springfield, Missouri, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. These areas could see hailstones greater than 2 inches in diameter, severe wind gusts and several tornadoes.

A slight risk for severe weather will continue in Oklahoma on Sunday, but will include west Texas and stretch into western Arkansas. Large hail, damaging winds and a couple tornadoes will be possible in these areas.

On Memorial Day, the severe weather risk will mostly impact central and eastern Texas --?comprising of wind and hail threats along with possible flash flooding --?but most of the South should be on the lookout for rain on Monday.

A flood watch has been issued for southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas for the majority of the holiday weekend. These areas of the Plains and Ozarks could see 2 to 5 inches of widespread rain -- and up to 8 inches of rain is possible in the hardest-hit areas -- beginning on Friday and continuing through Monday.

Along with the potential for strong storms, near-record-high temperatures are possible from Friday through Sunday for Houston, the surrounding areas of south Texas, and Tampa, Florida. These areas could see highs above 90 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the holiday weekend.

Elsewhere, temperatures are expected to be much cooler than normal in the central and northern Plains, Midwest and the Northeast, with sunny skies. By Monday, it warms up with highs around 70 degrees from New York City to Boston and even up to Caribou, Maine.