Storms, floods and scorching heat grip the U.S. as World Cup and holiday travel peak

Severe storms, flash flooding and extreme heat are battering parts of the Plains, Midwest and the South this weekend, threatening to disrupt World Cup fans, athletes and holiday travelers alike.

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Flood alerts remain in effect for around 20 million people across the central and southern parts of the country. In the South, including in eastern Texas, Louisiana, southern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur continue to sweep through the region.

The National Weather Service said a “flash flood threat” remained through the evening for the Gulf Coast, from Galveston, Texas, to the Florida panhandle. Rain was recorded along the entirety of the coast on Saturday, as well as in parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, according to weather service data.

Video taken from Vestavia Hills, a community in central Alabama, showed brown floodwater inundating local streets amid the roar of rain.

Preliminary rainfall totals in Louisiana on Friday may have set a new state record. The existing record stands at 22 inches of precipitation in 24 hours; an estimated 29 inches fell in Cottonport during that same window on Friday, with preliminary measurements of 22 inches recorded in Plaucheville and 17 inches in Simmesport near the Atchafalaya River.

Additional heavy rain this weekend in parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — already waterlogged from Thursday and Friday’s storms — could trigger further flash flooding, according to the weather service. The agency cautioned that “the very moist airmass in place and saturated soils from the last week mean that locally significant flash flooding is a possibility if a storm sits over one place for too long.”

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Saturday that an estimated 4,000 utility customers were without power.

“The State of Mississippi continues coordinating response efforts with local, state, and federal partners,” he said on X. “We will continue deploying resources as requested.”

The Plains and parts of the Midwest face storm threats, with potentially dire consequences for Saturday evening’s World Cup match between Ecuador and Curaçao in Kansas City, Missouri.

The weather service issued a flood watch for much of Kansas City and its surroundings, an area that includes Kansas City Stadium, the venue for the World Cup match. The watch starts at 7 p.m. CT and extends through Sunday evening, with federal forecasters saying “torrential rainfall” is possible as a cold front collides with tropical air to create severe thunderstorms.

Flood watches are also in effect in Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana, where thunderstorms could produce dangerous flash flooding.

Much of Nebraska, Kansas and easternmost Colorado may see thunderstorms Saturday, with the potential for tornadoes, large hail and wind gusts up to 75 mph.

The weather service issued tornado warnings early Saturday evening for northern and northeastern portions of Kansas, including Decatur County and Rawlins County.

By Sunday morning, the National Weather Service said, the storms will push east through the Midwest, “dragging the threat of flash flooding eastward as additional storms develop along the slow-moving warm front.”

Meanwhile, 29 million people around the country are under heat alerts, including parts of the South that are baking under extreme heat and humidity. Heat advisories are in effect in southeastern Texas, where heat index values — a measure of what conditions feel like when humidity and air temperatures are combined — could reach as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

The weather service said “feels like” temperatures for Houston could reach as high as 108 Saturday as forecasters issued a heat advisory through 10 p.m. CT. Part of the region, an area south and southeast of downtown, was also subject to a flash flood warning through 7:15 p.m. CT.

More than 15,000 utility customers were without power in Texas, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

The weather service urged residents to “stay hydrated and wear lightweight, light-colored clothing,” and to “limit strenuous outdoor activities, especially during the afternoon.”

Heat advisories also cover Louisiana, southern Alabama and South Florida.

The weekend’s patchwork of severe weather could cause headaches for holiday travelers. The Transportation Security Administration projects heavy travel volumes on both days flanking the long weekend, with more than 3 million passengers expected to pass through TSA checkpoints on Sunday alone.