Severe Weather and Flooding Threat from the Plains to the Deep South
Rounds of torrential rain and thunderstorms are creating a potentially dangerous setup for life-threatening flash flooding from the Plains to the Deep South. The threat is highest today in southeastern Kansas, northern Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The active weather pattern is expected to continue through the rest of the week and into the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Source: FOX Weather. “Potentially life-threatening flooding setup puts millions on alert from Plains to Deep South” https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/plains-deep-south-southeast-flooding-storms-labor-day-holiday
Tropical Weather Outlook
The Atlantic tropics are currently in a “pause” period, with a hostile environment of dust, dry air, and unsupportive upper-level winds limiting significant development. However, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring a new tropical wave forecast to emerge off the coast of Africa. The NHC gives this system a low chance of development over the next seven days as it moves across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
Source: National Hurricane Center. “Atlantic 7-Day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook” https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php
Source: FOX Weather. “Bryan Norcross: Tropical pause underway but hints of more active second half of hurricane season” https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/bryan-norcross-hurricane-analysis-august-28-2025
Historic Weather Anniversaries (August 28th)
Hurricane Katrina Reaches Peak Intensity
August 28, 2005, marks the day that Hurricane Katrina reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 storm over the central Gulf of Mexico. With maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and a minimum central pressure of 902 millibars, it was one of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes in U.S. history. The storm would go on to make landfall on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic damage, particularly in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Source: National Weather Service. “Hurricane Katrina – August 2005” https://www.weather.gov/mob/katrina
Source: National Weather Service. “This Day in Weather History: August 28th” https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Aug_28
Tornado Outbreak in the Northeast
On August 28, 1973, an F4 tornado struck parts of New York and Massachusetts, killing three people and destroying a truck stop in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Plainfield, Illinois, Tornado
On August 28, 1990, a devastating F5 tornado tore through Kendall and Will counties in northern Illinois, killing 29 people and injuring 350. The tornado destroyed 470 homes and caused an estimated $160 million in damages.
- Source: National Weather Service. “This Day in Weather History: August 28th” https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Aug_28
Disclaimer: This information was researched and curated with the assistance of AI, but reviewed and verified by a human.