The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Multiday flood threat increases in US due to Omega blocking pattern

Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Monday, May 5, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.

Flash flood threat grows in New York City area as Northeast faces days of rain, thunderstorms

The threat of flash flooding is growing in the Northeast due to relentless rounds of rain and some thunderstorms fueled by a stubborn Omega blocking pattern over the U.S.

An "Omega block" is named after the Greek letter Ω and disrupts the usual zonal flow of weather systems.

The FOX Forecast Center said the blocking pattern has caused a so-called cutoff low-pressure system to stall over the Tennessee and Ohio valleys. The system is feeding off moisture in the Atlantic, and that's funneling precipitation into the region.

Rain totals could approach 3-5 inches if the system struggles to move, and flash flooding is possible.

The flood threat zone includes the New York City and Poughkeepsie areas in New York, as well as Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven, New London, Bridgeport and Stamford in Connecticut.

Southern Plains, Gulf Coast face multiday severe thunderstorm, flood threat

The Omega blocking pattern isn't only impacting the Northeast – tens of millions of people in the southern Plains and along the Gulf Coast will need to keep an eye on the forecast as the region faces a multiday flood and severe weather threat.

The FOX Forecast Center says a major flash flood threat is developing across portions of the South, with Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi firmly in the crosshairs.

The flash flood threat will quickly increase as we begin this new workweek, and rain totals could exceed well over a half-foot once the event ends at the end of the week.

Watch: Alabama fire department damaged during tornado-warned thunderstorm

A volunteer fire department in Alabama was damaged on Saturday when a severe thunderstorm roared across the area.

In a video shared by the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, the storm begins to intensify as it approaches. As the video continues, rain begins to pick up, and the whipping winds then knock down a tree at the Rosalie Volunteer Fire Department.

Eventually, as the storm moved over the area, a portion of the building toppled and fell onto parked vehicles.

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