Diving Into the Memorial Day Forecast Across the U.S.

The Memorial Day holiday is typically marked with a variety of outdoor activities ranging from parades to graveyard commemorations to road races. Will Mother Nature cooperate with all of these plans?

The southern U.S. is predicted to be the biggest trouble spot for weather on Memorial Day. Regular downpours will put a damper on outdoor ceremonies at best. At worst, some parts of the southern and central Plains will be under the threat of flash flooding.

Meanwhile, those out West will enjoy widespread beautiful conditions while the northeastern U.S. will be grappling with unseasonably cool temperatures despite the drier conditions settling in over the region after the exit of last week's nor'easter. Read on for what the forecast is saying about Monday's anticipated weather across the country.

Western U.S. Expected to See Best Weather Conditions for the Holiday

Let's start with what parts of the country will experience the best weather for the holiday. The forecast is calling for mostly nice conditions west of the Rocky Mountains. The highest chance of storms and rain will be across the central and southern Rockies.

Beachgoers on the West Coast can count on sunny skies later in the day once any patchy low clouds burn off. For instance, Huntington Beach, California, will see cloudy skies in the morning with sunshine on the horizon for the afternoon. Temperatures will reach 68 degrees before cooling to the 60-degree threshold after the sun goes down. It will be a bit breezy in the beach resort town with winds out of the south at 10 to 15 mph.

The exception to this forecast will be along the coastlines of Washington and Oregon. This part of the region should expect the clouds to persist throughout the day, ushering in the chance of light rain showers. It will be a chilly day in coastal areas such as Ocean Shores, Washington. This beach community will remain under a thick cloud cover, keeping temperatures in the upper 50s before falling into the upper 40s overnight.

It will be a toasty day for the desert terrain with triple-digit readings possible in several communities. Phoenix could crack this barrier on Monday under plentiful sunshine. It will be a nice evening in the Valley of the Sun with lows forecast to land at about 70 degrees.

Those headed to Palm Springs for the holiday will want to get out early for that morning round of golf. Temperatures are forecast to soar into the mid to upper 90s under mostly sunny skies during the peak heat of the day. The forecast is also calling for winds out of the northwest at 10 to 20 mph and overnight lows that fall into the upper 60s.