A potent early March storm is expected to intensify from Monday night through Wednesday night, bringing severe thunderstorms to nearly two dozen states and impacting around 170 million people from the southern Plains to the Midwest and East, according to meteorologists at AccuWeather.
The primary threat from this severe weather event will be powerful wind gusts capable of toppling trees and causing power outages in communities stretching from Texas and Oklahoma to parts of Florida, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. There is also a risk of several tornadoes forming within the strongest storms, with some of this activity potentially occurring during nighttime hours in the Central states.
The storm’s wind energy will first be felt over the southern Rockies and Plains starting on Sunday, with gusts of 50-70 mph in the dry, clear air increasing the risk of wildfires through Tuesday.
As the storm’s trailing cold front interacts with Gulf moisture late Monday and Monday night, thunderstorms are expected to develop. Initially, the main threat will be powerful wind gusts from central Texas to parts of Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, western Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri. This will mark the initial phase of the severe weather.
On Tuesday, thunderstorms are forecast to quickly escalate in severity, with the main threat continuing to be powerful wind gusts from northeastern Texas to southwestern Tennessee. This area is expected to have a heightened risk of tornadoes, particularly after dark.
Crosswinds from the storms pose a significant risk of high-profile vehicle rollovers. From Tuesday to Tuesday night, a large area spanning from south Texas to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and the Florida Panhandle will experience severe thunderstorms, with the potential for high winds, tornadoes, hail, lightning, and flash flooding.
As the storm moves northward toward the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region, the Atlantic Seaboard, and the northeast Gulf coast will face the threat of severe weather on Wednesday and Wednesday night, possibly including thunder, lightning, gusty winds, and sporadic tornadoes, hail, and flash flooding.
The storm is expected to impact major and secondary airport hubs from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, potentially causing flight delays due to thunderstorms and strong winds.
As the severe weather outbreak unfolds from Monday night through Wednesday evening, there is a significant risk to lives and property that residents and travelers should be prepared for.
The potential widespread impacts of the storms are likely to be felt through power outages across nearly two dozen states. While flash urban flooding can happen anywhere thunderstorm activity is present in this March storm, the greatest risk of small stream and river flooding will be in areas that have recently experienced heavy rains this spring, especially in portions of the Ohio and Tennessee Valley regions. Additionally, the combination of rapidly melting snow and a moderate rate of rainfall may lead to rapid flooding of streams and rivers in the northern tier of the Midwest and Northeast, as well as the southern tier of Canada. For an increase in safety measures and to receive ad-free advanced severe weather alerts, consider subscribing to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. Our AccuWeather Alerts™ are generated by expert meteorologists who work around the clock to monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks for your protection and that of your family. This weather pattern is expected to persist from Tuesday morning through Tuesday night.
