Flood warnings in effect as storms descend over Northeast this week

The storm system that spun up deadly tornadoes across the Southeast will rush across the northeastern U.S. on Monday before another storm is expected to follow its path, bringing rounds of heavy rain to the region that could hamper travel and impact New Year's celebrations.

More than four dozen tornadoes were reported from Texas to Georgia as the storms knocked out power to thousands of homes and delayed or canceled thousands of flights from Friday to Sunday. The severe weather outbreak killed at least four people in Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina.

As of Monday, flood advisories were still in place throughout the Southeast as elevated river levels and run-off still posed a danger in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm system is expected to continue pushing north throughout the day, bringing rain, wind and fog across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. "There can be rumbles of thunder as far north as the northern tier of Pennsylvania, New York City and southern New England," said Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather.

To the west, strong winds and several inches of snow were forecast from northern Idaho to western Iowa on Monday as a low pressure system moves east from the Rockies and spreads over the Plains and Midwest regions. Winter storms warnings were active as up to a foot of snow could fall over the Rockies and flurries could be seen as east as the Ohio Valley, according to the national weather service.

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Lakeshore flooding expected in western New York

The national weather service office in Buffalo, New York, issued a flood warning for Erie and Chautauqua counties, saying water will rise rapidly on the eastern end of Lake Erie, resulting in flooding and "significant shoreline erosion."

"Waves are often larger than they appear and can easily wash you away," the warning said. "Expect significant beach erosion and debris, local road closures and extremely dangerous boating conditions."

The flood warning was issued just before 3 a.m. local time and is set to expire at 1 p.m., according to the weather service.

Red flag warnings issued amid high winds in the West

A combination of low humidity, dry conditions and high winds led authorities to issue red flag warnings across western Texas, eastern New Mexico as well as parts of Colorado and Kansas.

The many fire warnings were in place through Monday afternoon and are set to expire in the evening. The mountain ridges and east slopes across the lower Plains were most at risk as forecasters expect consistent winds of 20 to 30 mph.

"Fires will catch and spread quickly. Exercise extreme caution with any outdoor burning," said the weather service in El Paso, Texas. In Pueblo, Colorado, the local weather service office warned residents to avoid starting fires outside because wind gusts in southeastern parts of the state could reach as high as 60 mph.

Forecasters expect drought conditions to persist and worsen across the southern tier of U.S. over the coming months as La Ni?a conditions develop, raising the risk of wildfires from the Southeast to the Southwest. "Fire is probably the biggest danger going into winter," climatologist and drought expert Brian Fuchs told USA TODAY in an email in mid-December.

More: 2025 climate forecast warns of winter danger – but not the cold kind

Over 85k without power across eastern US

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power Monday as storms brought strong winds and heavy rain across the eastern U.S.

Over 85,000 utility customers did not have power Monday morning, down from Sunday's high of more than 200,000 outages, according to PowerOutage.us. Pennsylvania had the most outages, at 38,300, followed by Mississippi, 28,000; Ohio, 13,500; and West Virginia, 6,400.

"Strong winds will blow down trees and power lines," warned the weather service office in Buffalo, where wind gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast. "Scattered power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles."

Flood warnings active throughout the East, Midwest

Weather service officers from eastern Texas to the Carolinas, Ohio, Illinois and western New York issued flood warnings as rivers continue to rise and forecasters anticipate more rain this week.

The National Weather Service office in Little Rock, Arkansas, warned farmers to move livestock to higher ground as the Black River rose to its flood stage of 17 feet. "Agricultural lands along the river east and south of Pocahontas will be impacted by high water," the warning said.

The White River in Augusta, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, has flooded "thousands of acres of farm ground," a local weather service office said in a weather alert Monday, adding: "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles."

In southern Illinois, the weather service office in Lincoln said the Little Wabash River was within several inches of impacting U.S. Route 50, a major highway that runs from Sacramento, California, to Ocean City, Maryland.

Similar warnings were issued in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Flights delays, cancellations down from the weekend

Air travel on Monday in the U.S. was much smoother than it was over the weekend, when severe weather across the Southeast led to tens of thousands of delays and cancellations.

Over 20,000 flights in the U.S. were delayed or canceled on Saturday and Sunday, most of them in Georgia and Texas, according to the tracking site FlightAware. As of Monday morning, there were 84 cancellations and 2,423 delays within, into or out of the U.S., FlightAware said.

The FAA said departures at Denver International Airport were delayed by an average of a half hour "due to wind." The agency also said a delay or ground stop program at Boston Logan International Airport later Monday afternoon is "possible."

Four killed in powerful weekend storms

A storm system pummeled Texas and the Southeast over the weekend, killing at least four people across the region as well as knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses and impeding air travel.

Two people were killed in Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement. One person was killed and two were injured when a tree fell on a home in Natchez, a city on the Mississippi River and near the Louisiana border. A second death was reported in Lowndes County, which shares a border with the Alabama.

A woman was killed by a tornado that tore across Brazoria County, Texas, on Saturday, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office and Manvel Mayor Dan Davis. The tornado damaged several dozen buildings and structures, including a local elementary school, which suffered "catastrophic damage," according to local officials.

In North Carolina, a 70-year-old man was killed Sunday morning after a tree fell on his pickup truck in Iredell County, just north of Charlotte, state troopers told multiple local news outlets.

Heavy rain in forecast for the Northeast on New Year's Eve

Behind Monday's storm, a second weather system is forecast to drench the East Coast from North Carolina to southern New England on Tuesday.

In New York, where thousands are expected to gather for the Times Square ball drop, officials have already begun warning people that the heaviest rain is forecast to hit the city between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday.

"Planning on seeing the ball drop in Times Square for New Year's Eve? Be weather aware, as moderate to heavy rain is possible within a few hours of midnight that night," the New York State Weather Risk Communication Center said in a weather outlook on X.

The storm may also cause several inches of snow around the northern and western Great Lakes, including Chicago.

Contributing: John Bacon, Thao Nguyen and Doyle Rice

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heavy rain in forecast for Northeast; snow falls across Plains states