Parts of the U.S. Southwest are in for severe weather through the weekend as forecasters warn of potential showers, severe thunderstorms and even a few tornadoes, following rounds of devastating flooding earlier this week.
Moisture from the Gulf of California will stream into the Southwest and Southern High Plains regions, the National Weather Service said. Severe thunderstorms are a risk on Oct. 24 through the morning of Oct. 25. Heavy rain that may cause localized flash flooding is also a risk in the Central and Southern High Plains, and Central and Southern Rockies.
"The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes," the weather service said.
The showers and thunderstorms
will extend from the Four Corners area (where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet) through to western Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. A greater risk for hail 2 inches in diameter or larger and tornadoes will extend from south-central and southeast New Mexico into far west Texas.
Major cities in the risk area include Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, the Storm Prediction Center said.
More than 2 million people were under flood watches on Oct. 24.
Weekend storms come after 'catastrophic flooding'
The weekend storms come after parts of the region have already seen major flooding and storms in recent days. The San Juan River was sending "catastrophic" floodwaters into the Farmington, New Mexico, area on Oct. 23, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said.
There were 20 rescues overnight in San Juan County, officials said.
Photos shared by the Navajo Police Department on social media show homes and roads covered by floodwaters in Shiprock, New Mexico, part of the Navajo Nation.
The Farmington Police Department on Oct. 24 asked residents to stay home and off the roads as crews respond to flood damage.
"Many of our roadways have sustained damage, and continued traffic can worsen the damage," police said.
In Colorado, the town of Pagosa Springs declared a local disaster emergency on Oct. 23 after severe flooding damaged roads and bridges and forced evacuations in low-lying areas.
Officials in Hurricane, Utah, also declared an emergency as dozens of homes and recreational vehicles at an RV park were damaged in flooding.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground delay in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 22 because of severe thunderstorms, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Showers, thunderstorms threaten Southwest after devastating floods
