Triple-Threat March Megastorm Pummels U.S.
A shifting system brings blizzard snows in the Upper Midwest, severe storms and tornado risks across the East, heavy rain and flooding in Hawaii, and widespread power outages across the Great Lakes.
The Guardian‘Triple-threat megastorm’ to scatter snow, high winds and thunder across US
CNBCSnow and wind batter parts of the U.S., with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes
CBS NewsMajor weather threats bring blizzard conditions to U.S. northern tier, early heatwave to the West
PBS NewsHourSevere weather batter parts of U.S., with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes starting later Sunday
Overview
A broad storm produced blizzard conditions and heavy snow Sunday across the Upper Midwest while the National Weather Service warned a line of severe storms would cross much of the Eastern U.S. by late Monday.
The same system is expected to bring damaging winds, several tornadoes and heavy rainfall from the Mississippi Valley into the Mid-Atlantic, threatening major airports and widespread travel disruptions, forecasters said.
State and local officials issued no-travel advisories and deployed National Guard members, and PowerOutage.us reported more than 210,000 Great Lakes customers and over 50,000 Hawaii customers without power.
Forecasters said more than 11.5 million people were under blizzard warnings, another 4.3 million were under winter storm warnings, about 20.6 million were under an extreme heat watch, and AccuWeather estimated nearly 200 million could be affected.
The weather service forecast the squall line to move into the Appalachians early Monday and toward the East Coast, with parts of South Carolina through Maryland most at risk and travel disruptions continuing into Monday night.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this coverage neutrally, relying on factual reporting and official sources rather than editorial language. They cite forecasters (AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys), local officials and residents, and objective data (flight cancellations, outage counts, inches of rain/snow), avoiding evaluative adjectives or selective omission that would suggest a political angle.
FAQ
The storm brings blizzard conditions and heavy snow in the Upper Midwest, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes across the East from the Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic, heavy rain and flooding in Hawaii, and widespread power outages in the Great Lakes.
More than 11.5 million people are under blizzard warnings, 4.3 million under winter storm warnings, 20.6 million under extreme heat watches, with nearly 200 million potentially affected overall.
Over 4,400 flight cancellations are anticipated nationwide from Sunday to Tuesday, with major airports like those in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., and Charlotte facing disruptions; no-travel advisories and National Guard deployments are in place.
More than 210,000 customers in the Great Lakes region and over 50,000 in Hawaii are without power, with risks of further outages from winds gusting 40-60 mph across dozens of states.
The squall line is moving into the Appalachians and East Coast, with parts of South Carolina through Maryland at most risk; severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes from Texas to Ohio on Sunday, expanding to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and Baltimore by Monday.