A wet, cool pattern continues across much of the eastern U.S. on Sunday, with flood watches stretching from southeastern Louisiana through parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachia and flight delays stacking up at O’Hare. Some improvements are expected for the
Sunday morning didn’t feel like a holiday for people trying to move through the air over the Midwest. At O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop Sunday morning due to thunderstorms. and arriving flights were running an average delay of 44 minutes.
Departures from O’Hare didn’t fare much better. Flights scheduled to leave faced delays of up to one hour and 45 minutes, as the stormy pattern kept pushing through the eastern half of the country.
For travelers who were hoping the weather would loosen its grip over Memorial Day weekend. the forecast offers both warning and relief—but not evenly. A soggy system continues to plague the eastern U.S. with wet and cool conditions expected to linger through Sunday before gradual improvements reach parts of the Northeast and Midwest.
Flood watches cover a wide stretch of the central and southern East. Watches have been issued from southeastern Louisiana into Mississippi. Alabama. Georgia. Tennessee and West Virginia. including Atlanta. Baton Rouge. Birmingham. New Orleans. Knoxville and Charleston. for heavy rain through Memorial Day.
The rain totals could become serious. A widespread one to two inches of additional rainfall is likely from southern Louisiana up to the Carolinas. with pockets of two to four-plus inches possible where downpours are heaviest. Some of those storms also carry the risk of gusty winds and some small hail.
The wet weather is already leaving its mark on weekend plans. In New York City, officials implemented new measures to prepare for potential flooding and storm impacts after flash flooding in the city on May 23, 2026. That precaution comes as forecasters continue to keep storm threats in view.
Further west, thunderstorms could still find ways to disrupt major events. The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could be interrupted by thunderstorms forecast for central Indiana on Sunday afternoon. The race began around 12:45 p.m. ET, but a thunderstorm caused a brief suspension of the race in the 106th lap.
In Indianapolis, the National Weather Service office is forecasting a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon.
By Memorial Day itself, the forecast shifts in a way that will feel familiar to anyone who has lived through a holiday weekend weather front: some locations clear, others stay damp.
In the Northeast, warmer and drier conditions are expected to gradually sweep from west to east during the day. Morning rain closer to the coast is likely to clear out by afternoon in most spots. and some sunshine could reach the I-95 corridor later in the day. Highs on Memorial Day are expected to be in the 80s from Chicago to Minneapolis.
For the next day, Monday afternoon temperatures are forecast to slide back into the 70s across much of the Northeast, including Washington, D.C., and New York City.
The Midwest looks mostly steadier for the holiday. with mostly dry and warm conditions and highs expected to be in the 80s from Chicago to Minneapolis. Still. scattered morning showers are possible from Iowa to the western Great Lakes. even as temperatures are expected to warm across the Plains. where highs are forecast to reach the 90s in Montana and North Dakota.
The South remains more complicated. Scattered rain and thunderstorms continue to linger across the South for Memorial Day. and the unsettled pattern is expected to persist into the new work week. That could mean minor travel hiccups for those flying as well as slippery conditions for drivers on roads.
Outside the East, the West stays warm and dry for much of the day, except for parts of the Pacific Northwest. Rain is expected to move in by Monday afternoon across western Oregon and Washington, including Portland and Seattle.
After the holiday, the weather won’t simply reset to normal. The Northwest will see clouds and showers move into the region later on in the week and spread into the intermountain areas of the West, though it won’t be described as a complete soak.
At the same time, a cooler air shift is set to arrive for much of the West Tuesday into Wednesday. Highs are expected to drop from the 70s and 80s on Monday into the 60s on Tuesday, with highs barely reaching the 70s across Wednesday.
The Northeast, meanwhile, is expected to warm again midweek. By Tuesday, afternoon highs are forecast to be near 80 degrees from New York City to Boston.
For people trying to get through the last stretch of the holiday weekend—and for those returning to work. school. or heading back home—the central question is whether the improvements in the Northeast and Midwest can arrive before the next round of disruptions. Flood watches remain in effect across multiple states through Memorial Day. thunderstorms have already been strong enough to delay flights and pause a race. and even the forecast’s brighter pockets still come with the understanding that this pattern is stubborn.
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