Storm batters US with high winds, rain; threatens tornadoes and fires. Live updates

USA Today

04-03-2025

Storm batters US with high winds, rain; threatens tornadoes and fires. Live updates
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High risk for severe weather in southern US
The southern U.S. is under a high risk for severe storms. The region could not only face powerful thunderstorms but also hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
A massive winter storm marched across the central U.S. on Tuesday, unloading heavy winds, rain and snow across much of the country, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of buildings, disrupting travel and forcing officials to reschedule Mardi Gras events in New Orleans.
Tens of millions of people were under severe weather advisories, from tornado, thunderstorm and fire-related warnings in the South to blizzard warnings across the northern Plains region.
Hurricane-force winds were reported in northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma through the morning, prompting red flag warnings across the drought-stricken region. The winds caused widespread power outages that affected nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in Texas alone. In New Orleans, police announced shortened Mardi Gras parade routes ahead of the storm's arrival.
Meanwhile, forecasters in Minnesota and Nebraska warned of heavy snowfall that could cause whiteout conditions and make travel "treacherous and potentially life-threatening."
Through the midweek, the low-pressure system is expected to spread as far south as Florida and as far north as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, coming up just short of New York City, which may still be in for some thunderstorms, AccuWeather said. In all, the storm could impact up to 170 million people across more than 20 states.
The storm's damaging winds come as parts of the eastern U.S. are seeing a breakout of wildfires and the South's drought conditions have turned the region into a tinderbox.
In the Carolinas, firefighters continued battling blazes that have prompted evacuations and clouded communities in heavy smoke. Just outside Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, first responders were working to contain a 2,000-acre fire that erupted over the weekend.
In North Carolina, fires were engulfing swaths of the state's national forests while evacuation orders remained in parts of Polk County, where a 600-acre fire burned in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With powerful winds on the horizon, fire officials across the East warned residents to refrain from burning anything outdoors.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued red flag warnings throughout central and southern Texas as the storm pushed across the state. While the area did not receive much rain, hurricane-force winds threatened to fuel any fires that started up in the dry lands.
Wind warnings and advisories were in place Tuesday from New Mexico to Florida and up to Virginia as the massive storm barreled east across the central U.S.
"As these thunderstorms roar eastward, the biggest threat will be damaging wind gusts, especially in Arkansas, Louisiana and western Mississippi," said Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, in an online forecast, adding that the area could see "widespread gusts of up to 80 mph" and some possibly as high as 100 mph.
The gusts are expected to continue grounding flights and knocking out power. Another main concern: the threat of wildfires in the South and spreading the blazes already burning in the Carolinas.
The National Weather Service issued tornado advisories for multiple southern Plains states Tuesday morning, including Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The weather service offices in the Oklahoma cities of Tulsa and Norman warned residents of severe storms "capable of producing tornadoes" moving across the southeastern part of the state. Dallas was among the cities in northeastern Texas under tornado watches.
The service's office in Forth Worth, Texas, urged residents to prepare an emergency kit with essentials. The office also alerted of the 'critical fire weather'' in the Dallas area because of the high winds and low humidity Tuesday.
By 9:30 a.m., more than 210 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were canceled and nearly 300 were delayed, according to FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration said flights were delayed by an average of two hours "due to wind."
'Strong storms this morning are leading to hazardous road conditions around the metro area,' the airport said in a statement on X. 'Please allow extra time and be safe as storms move quickly over the area. Check your flight status for any schedule impacts this morning.'
The smaller Dallas Love Field airport reported over 60 cancellations and dozens of delays, according to FlightAware.
With the storm threatening to bring powerful wind gusts, hail and possible tornadoes to New Orleans on Fat Tuesday, officials have had to reschedule events and cut some short.
Two of the cities largest parades were set for Tuesday morning, and while they will still occur, the New Orleans Police Department said the festivities must end at 11:30 a.m., before the worst of the storm moves over the area. The parades will also have shortened routes.
"Due to the forecasted inclement weather & high wind gusts, tommorrow's schedule has changed," the police department said in a statement Monday. "We're communicating w/ our partners & will continue to monitor."
The National Weather Service in New Orleans said the city is at an enhanced risk of severe weather, warning of "damaging winds in excess of 60 mph."
Through March 2, the U.S. had totaled 61 confirmed tornadoes this year, less than half the yearly average of 138 for that period. That figure is about to change, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva, who said the number of twisters is less relevant than where and when they strike.
Nocturnal tornadoes are particularly concerning because they may hit homes when people are sleeping and not ready to seek cover.
'It really only takes one,'' he said in an online forecast. 'If you get one really powerful tornado to go through a very populated area, people are really going to remember that. We just want people to be vigilant.''
Weather experts across the nation say they fear the Trump administration's government cuts that resulted in hundreds of employees leaving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the weather service, may increase the threat during these severe weather events.
'Recent terminations within the government workforce for science are likely to cause irreparable harm and have far-reaching consequences for public safety, economic well-being, and the United States' global leadership,' the American Meteorological Society said Monday.
President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk have looked to the Department of Government Efficiency to enact Trump's signature campaign promise to reduce the size of the federal government.
Most weather service field offices already are understaffed, said James Spann, chief meteorologist for WBMA-TV in Birmingham, Alabama.
'If NWS products and services are reduced, we all suffer … especially during times of life-threatening weather,' Spann wrote in a social media post.
NOAA has said it's committed to keeping Americans informed about dangerous weather. Spokesperson Scott Smullen told USA TODAY the agency 'remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation's environmental and economic resilience.'
In addition to the probationary employees who were dismissed, a wave of senior weather service meteorologists retired Friday, and others left as part of the agency's 'Fork in the Road' plan that will pay them administrative leave through September.