A formidable storm system is traversing across the United States, set to unleash a potentially devastating array of weather events on Friday across various regions. The Mississippi Valley is on high alert for tornadoes, blizzards are predicted in the northern Plains, and Texas and Oklahoma face conditions ripe for extreme wildfires due to dry, gusty winds.
Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have projected that approximately 100 million people are under threat from this widespread severe weather phenomenon. Winds could potentially surge up to 80 mph (130 kph) from the Canadian border down to the Rio Grande, which marks the boundary with Mexico.
The perilous weather is anticipated to persist into the weekend. Tornadoes and damaging winds could make their way further south by Saturday, impacting areas such as New Orleans and Birmingham, Alabama. The East Coast could experience flash flooding owing to heavy rainfall on Sunday.
Such extreme weather conditions are not atypical for March, according to experts, as the transitional phase between winter’s end and spring’s onset creates stark temperature contrasts that fuel intense storms. Penn State University meteorologist Benjamin Reppert noted the potential for wide-ranging impacts across the country during this time.
A regional surge in severe storms is expected to commence Friday afternoon, with thunderstorms possibly affecting a stretch from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf Coast. The most significant risks, including tornadoes, severe wind patterns, and hail possibly as large as baseballs, are forecasted for regions such as eastern Missouri, Illinois, and parts of Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Around 17 million individuals from Des Moines, Iowa, to Jackson, Mississippi, are in locations forecasted to experience heightened severe storm conditions.
Tornado warnings are further projected to extend southwards by Saturday into the Gulf Coast, posing dangers to New Orleans, eastern Louisiana, and large portions of Mississippi and Alabama.
Simultaneously, in the Northern Plains, forecasters have issued warnings for potential blizzards, with heavy snowfall and high winds likely to complicate travel across the Rockies and Northern Plains. The Dakotas and Minnesota could experience blizzard conditions. Winter storm warnings from Thursday extended into Friday morning in mountainous areas of Arizona and Utah, where snowfall could exceed a foot (30 centimeters), prompting officials to caution against poor visibility and icy roads.
This present wintry onslaught follows a hefty blanket of snow, up to 3 feet (90 centimeters), that covered the Sierra Nevada earlier in the week.
Additionally, warm, dry conditions in combination with winds gusting up to 45 mph (72 kph) have culminated in what the weather service describes as “near historic” fire conditions in the Southern Plains and parts of the Southwest on Friday. Wind gusts could reach up to 80 mph (128 kph).
Authorities offered crucial advice to those traveling, urging vigilance for falling trees, power lines, and other debris as strong winds could lead to brownouts due to dust storms. Randall Hergert, a lead forecaster in Albuquerque, warned about a likely severe dust storm, the worst of the year thus far.
There is an acute risk of fires in parts of northern Texas, most of Oklahoma, and southeast Kansas. A larger region identified as critically fire-prone includes areas stretching from eastern New Mexico into Texas and upwards to the southern section of Iowa.
Moreover, the potential for dry thunderstorms in areas like Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas exacerbates the threat of wildfires, as lightning could ignite fires with scant rainfall insufficient to suppress them.
