Soaking storms for truckers across eastern US

Periods of torrential rain, flash flooding possible

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Truckers will have to plan ahead and expect delays in the eastern U.S the rest of the week. A slow-moving system will produce repeated periods of heavy rain in places mainly east of the Mississippi River over the next few days. Rain totals in some spots could exceed 5 inches, with locally higher amounts.

https://vimeo.com/558033501

There’s potential for scattered flash flooding and road closures, especially in low-lying areas and on secondary routes. It could happen anywhere from parts of the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley, eastward to the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.

As of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) had no flash flood watches posted, but this could change.

The silver lining — severe storms will be few and far between. Tornadoes, extremely gusty winds and large hail will be quite isolated, with the best chances coming Thursday from Virgiia to southeastern Pennsylvania.

Thunderstorms and downpours could also return to parts of Texas and Oklahoma later this week.

Other notable weather

Reminder for truckers: Triple-digit heat will continue Wednesday and Thursday from portions of the Northwest to southern Nevada and several parts of California. This includes Spokane, Washington; northern and southwestern Idaho; Las Vegas; southeastern California and the Sacramento Valley. The NWS has issued various heat alerts for these areas.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.

You might also like:

I-40 bridge over Mississippi River to remain closed indefinitely

Scariest tunnels for truckers

Hot Shots: Best freight-related social posts of the week

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now