Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois Including Des Moines, Milwaukee and Chicago Face Less Than 0.1 Inches of Rain This Memorial Day Weekend While New Orleans, Atlanta and Jackson See Localized 2 to 3 Plus Inches Through Sunday May 24

DES MOINES, Iowa — Memorial Day Weekend is shaping up to be a tale of two very different Americas, with Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois expecting less than 0.1 inches of rain through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM while the Deep South braces for localized totals of 2 to 3 inches or more during the same period. The contrast between the dry Midwest and the soaked South could not be more dramatic heading into the holiday weekend.

The Dry Zone: Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois Get Under 0.1 Inches

Residents across Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois are in luck this Memorial Day Weekend. The 3-day rainfall forecast through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM shows less than 0.1 inches of total rain for the region, making outdoor plans very manageable. Here are the cities sitting inside the dry zone:

• Des Moines, Iowa falls within the less than 0.1 inch rainfall zone through Sunday, May 24, giving residents an essentially dry Memorial Day Weekend for cookouts, parades and outdoor gatherings.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin is also inside the dry zone with less than 0.1 inches of rain expected through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM, making this one of the better spots in the country to be this weekend.
• Chicago, Illinois sits squarely in the less than 0.1 inch forecast zone, with the 3-day total through Sunday, May 24 showing minimal rain impact for the city and surrounding suburbs.
• Minneapolis, Minnesota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota are also visible within the light to dry rainfall zone on the forecast map through Sunday, May 24, 2026.
• Omaha, Nebraska and Topeka, Kansas fall within lighter rainfall totals on the 3-day forecast map through Sunday, May 24, though totals increase slightly farther south toward Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Wet Zone: Deep South Faces Localized 2 to 3 Plus Inches

The Deep South tells a very different story this Memorial Day Weekend. Localized areas are forecast to see 2 to 3 inches or more of rainfall through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM, making outdoor plans far more difficult across a wide swath of the South and Southeast. This is not a quick-moving shower situation — a 3-day accumulation of 2 to 3 plus inches can cause flooding in low-lying areas and make roads dangerous.

Cities Facing the Heaviest Rainfall Through Sunday May 24

The following cities are visible on the forecast map within or near the heaviest rainfall zones through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM:

• New Orleans, Louisiana and Baton Rouge, Louisiana are among the cities sitting inside the highest rainfall zone on the 3-day forecast map, with the Deep South corridor showing localized 2 to 3 inch plus totals through Sunday, May 24.
• Jackson, Mississippi and Shreveport, Louisiana fall within the heavy rainfall zone on the forecast through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM, with locally higher amounts possible in both areas.
• Atlanta, Georgia and Savannah, Georgia are inside the 2 to 3 inch plus localized rainfall zone through Sunday, May 24, putting outdoor Memorial Day Weekend events at serious risk across the Georgia metro and coastal areas.
• Montgomery, Alabama, Jacksonville, Florida and Tallahassee, Florida are also within the heavier rainfall footprint on the 3-day forecast map through Sunday, May 24, 2026.
• Nashville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee and Memphis, Tennessee fall within a transition zone of significant rainfall totals on the forecast through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM.
• Raleigh, North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia are also visible within elevated rainfall totals on the forecast map through Sunday, May 24.
• Washington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York round out the eastern corridor of elevated rainfall shown on the 3-day forecast through Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM.

What Memorial Day Weekend Looks Like Region by Region

For residents in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, this is about as good as a Memorial Day Weekend forecast gets. Less than 0.1 inches of rain over 3 days means essentially dry conditions for the entire stretch from Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24, 2026. Plan your outdoor events with confidence across that region.

For residents across the Deep South, from Louisiana and Mississippi through Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and up through the Carolinas and Virginia, the picture is far less favorable. Localized totals of 2 to 3 inches or more through Sunday, May 24 at 9:00 PM mean soggy conditions, possible street flooding and disrupted outdoor plans throughout the holiday weekend. Residents in New Orleans, Atlanta, Jackson and Nashville should have backup plans in place and monitor local flood advisories closely.

WaldronNews.com will continue tracking Memorial Day Weekend rainfall totals across Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and the Deep South including New Orleans, Atlanta and Jackson and will provide updates as the 2 to 3 inch plus rainfall totals through Sunday, May 24, 2026 develop.