The weather forecast for the holiday week warns of storms, floods and tornadoes

Multiple storms hit the southern United States and the Pacific Northwest with heavy rain and snow on Thursday, causing problems for some travelers the day after Christmas as several airports temporarily suspended flights and reported delays.

According to the National Weather Service, widespread thunderstorms spread from southeastern Oklahoma across eastern Texas and parts of Arkansas and Louisiana beginning Thursday afternoon.

“With sufficient energy and a pronounced change in wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, all types of severe weather are on the table, including hail, flooding, strong winds and isolated tornadoes,” AccuWeather meteorologist Gwen Fieweger said in a statement Online post prediction.

Houston, which experienced heavy rain on Christmas Eve that caused flight delays, was under an increased risk of thunderstorms Thursday, according to AccuWeather. The storms could continue across the region through the weekend and threaten to bring additional rainfall, hail and possibly tornadoes in Louisiana and Alabama.

The weather service office in Fort Worth, Texas, issued flash flood warnings for several counties Thursday morning as some areas reported quarter-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

“Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly,” the warning said. “Flooding is more likely in areas that experienced heavy rainfall on Christmas Eve. Be particularly vigilant during flooding if the ground near your location is already saturated.”

Tornado warnings in effect across western Louisiana and much of East Texas, including the city of Houston, were scheduled to expire at 7 p.m. local time.

More:Tornado warning issued for greater Houston area as severe weather threatens Texas, Louisiana

Atmospheric river brings storms westward

Meanwhile, the West is experiencing a days-long spell of bad weather that shows no signs of slowing.

An atmospheric river that brought several severe storms to the Pacific Northwest this week will bring additional rain and snow to the region.

On Thursday, weather service forecasters expect 1 to 3 inches of rain from northwestern California to western Oregon and Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, with “some instances of flooding where precipitation rates are highest.”

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An additional 1 to 2 inches of rain, along with potentially damaging winds and heavy snow, is expected over the Cascades and Olympic Mountains Thursday night into Friday morning. Parts of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon could see up to 18 inches of rain through Sunday.

“With the ground already soaked from previous storms, any additional precipitation through Friday will increase the risk of flooding and mudslides, particularly in burn scar areas and along short-term flows from the Cascades,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.

Winter storm warnings were in effect across much of the Northwest, from Northern California to Washington, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, according to the weather service.

A key concern for forecasters is blizzard conditions in the mountains of Oregon and Washington, where up to 2 feet of snow could fall by Friday, increasing the risk of avalanches, AccuWeather said.

“Travel could become very difficult,” said the storm warning from the weather service office in Spokane, Washington. “Heavy wet snow, falling at a rate of 1 inch or more per hour at times, could result in isolated tree damage and power outages.”

Storms lead to flight cancellations and airport delays

As rain showers and thunderstorms hit the Northwest and several southern states, delays and cancellations at airports increased.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport were temporarily suspended “due to thunderstorms.” According to FlightAware, delays at the major airport averaged more than an hour as of 3 p.m. as more than 200 flights were canceled.

Other Texas airports, including George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport, reported significant delays.

According to the FAA, flights at San Francisco International Airport had to be temporarily suspended due to high winds.

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The weather forecast for the holiday week warns of storms, floods and tornadoes

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