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Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Massive winter storm rolls across U.S. with threat of blizzards, thunderstorms, tornadoes and wildfires
A powerful storm system that unleashed severe weather for millions of Americans from coast to coast this week is now taking aim at the nation's midsection, bringing blizzard conditions to the northern Plains, thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes to the Midwest and South and an elevated risk of wildfires to the southern Plains. 'This storm is packing multiple life-threatening hazards, from fires and dust storms to tornadoes and flooding rainfall," AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said Friday. "More than 150 million people are at risk of impacts across 30 states through the weekend.' • Friday-Saturday: According to the National Weather Service's latest forecast, the storm system will produce showers and severe thunderstorms over the central and southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley. "Significant tornadoes, widespread damaging winds and large hail are likely," the weather service said. The system will also continue to produce heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, where up to three feet of snow has already fallen. Combined with wind gusts of up to 70 mph, heavy snow developing on the back side of the storm will create blizzard conditions across the northern Plains through Saturday. • Saturday-Sunday: As the front moves eastward, showers and severe thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Ohio, Tennessee and lower Mississippi valleys and other parts of the Southeast. "There is an additional threat of EF2-EF5 tornadoes," the weather service warned, with thunderstorms again accompanied by high winds and large hail. Severe thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes will persist across the Southeast through most of the weekend, while heavy rainfall and high winds associated with the storm are expected in parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Sunday. The weather service issued critical fire weather warnings across much of the southern Plains through the weekend, as high winds combined with low humidity and dry conditions on the back side of the storm will create an elevated risk for wildfires. "Significant, dangerous wildfire-spread conditions are expected, with a wildfire outbreak possible across parts of the Southern Plains," the NWS said. There were reports Friday of multiple wildfires in north Texas, where the risk of fire weather was considered "extreme." According to KFDA-10 in Amarillo, Texas, evacuations were underway in Alanreed and Lake Tanglewood. In a post on X, the Texas A&M Forest Service said it was responding to a 500-acre wildfire that forced the closure of Highway 70 in Roberts County. Dust storms are also possible throughout the region. 'This is likely to be the worst dust storm so far this year,' Randall Hergert, a lead forecaster with the weather service in Albuquerque, N.M., told the Associated Press. The storm is the latest in a series of systems to bring extreme weather to parts of the United States this winter. And this round has produced several tornadoes. Early Thursday, a rare tornado touched down in Pico Rivera in East Los Angeles — part of the larger system that brought heavy rainfall to Southern California, triggering evacuation warnings and orders in burn-scar areas. According to the Los Angeles Times, the EF-0 tornado, with peak winds of 85 mph, downed trees and damaged several homes. On Monday, a tornado touched down near Orlando, Fla., destroying several homes and hitting a local TV station in the middle of a live weather forecast. WOFL-TV meteorologist Brooks Garner was on the air when he realized and told everyone in the studio to take cover. "Get to your safe space under your desk. We're catching debris right now on the roof," Garner said. "This is a tornado." There was minimal damage to the building, and there were no reports of injuries. A preliminary survey from the weather service indicated the tornado briefly reached EF-2 strength, with winds estimated at up to 115 mph. "I've been doing this for a very long time,' Garner told viewers after the storm passed. 'That's the first time a tornado has hit me while I'm doing the weather.'
USA Today
11-02-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Extreme cold warning issued for over 1 million Americans in the West, upper Midwest
Extreme cold warning issued for over 1 million Americans in the West, upper Midwest Show Caption Hide Caption Winter storm brings ice, snow more to come in Midwest, Northeast A winter storm swept through the Midwest and Northeast causing ice, snow and rain. Another storm is on the way. Winter weather continues to pummel a wide swath of the country, with more than a million people in Eastern Montana and the Dakotas under extreme cold warnings Monday and Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service, wind chills as low as 55 degrees below zero could affect more than a million people in Montana, as well as in North and South Dakota. Areas of Idaho are also under the same warnings, with the weather service forecasting that some areas could see wind chills of 24 degrees below zero. 'The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 55 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes,' the NWS said in their forecast. The extreme cold in comes as other regions of the country are expected to see dangerous winter conditions this week. Here's what to know. How many people are under cold weather watches? According to the National Weather Service, over 1 million people are under extreme cold warnings in Montana, North and South Dakota. A further 18 million are under winter storm warnings across Kansas and Missouri and across Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Winter weather wreaks havoc across country A parade of winter storms may cause chaos across the Midwest and East this week, with two major storms expected to slam the regions with paralyzing snow and ice, including a big blast to the nation's capital. The first storm will roll through the Midwest on Monday before fueling a blast of snow and ice across the Ohio Valley and the East, from Virginia to New England through Tuesday. "It's been a disruptive start to February, and this onslaught of winter storms is expected to stick around for most of the month," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. The second storm expected to develop Tuesday night will roll out of the Front Range of the Rockies and spread to the central Plains on Wednesday before stretching to Mid-Atlantic states, AccuWeather says. AccuWeather warned that snow and even a period of ice could hit Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo. And there is a chance that the corridor of sleet and freezing rain is more expansive with the second storm, especially across the Mid-Atlantic region and New England. US weather watches and warnings National Weather Radar Contributing: John Bacon Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
A wintry 1-2 punch: 2 storms to blanket much of nation in ice, snow
ARLINGTON, Va. − Two storms forecast to develop this week could slam the Midwest and East with paralyzing snow and ice and bring nearly a foot of snow to the nation's capital. The first storm, actually the latest in a series over the last few weeks, will roll through the Midwest on Monday before fueling a blast of snow and ice across the Ohio Valley and the East from Virginia to New England through Tuesday. Cincinnati; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia and New York City are among cities likely to feel the impact, according to which forecast 6-10 inches for this Washington suburb. "It's been a disruptive start to February, and this onslaught of winter storms is expected to stick around for most of the month," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. He warned of a "February frenzy of storms every few days in many places." AccuWeather said a band of steady rainfall was likely across the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast states that could drench some areas with 1-3 inches. The highest amounts likely to occur from far eastern Texas through northern Louisiana, central Mississippi and Alabama. Cities such as Dallas, Little Rock and Nashville will also remain warm enough to face rain and possibly thunderstorms. But areas farther north could face a lot of snow and ice, AccuWeather predicted. "This can lead to accumulating snow that may impact millions from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic states and southern New England," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus, who warned of "significant travel" across major cities in the region Tuesday. Forecasters said it remained unclear how much snow will fall. Some areas in the lower Midwest could see only rain or nothing at all. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pensylvania and the Mid-Atlantic states could land in the bulls-eye for snow. Saturday snow is just the start: Welcome to a 'parade' of winter weather "Heavier snow is more likely from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic," wrote Jonathan Erdman. He added that some ice accumulation is possible from in Kentucky, southern Virginia and North Carolina. The second storm could develop Tuesday night in the Front Range of the Rockies and spread to the central Plains on Wednesday before stretching to Mid-Atlantic states. That storm "expected to closely follow on the heels of the early week storm, impacting many of the same areas beginning on Wednesday," Duffus said. AccuWeather warned that snow and even a period of ice could hit Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo. And there is a chance that the corridor of sleet and freezing rain is more expansive with the second storm, especially across the Mid-Atlantic region and New England. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storms: 2 storms could blanket much of US in ice, snow
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
February frenzy: US to remain under winter storm siege
A frenetic weather pattern will send persistent winter storms across more than 20 states through the end of February, disrupting daily routines and causing cascading travel delays. "It's been a disruptive start to February, and this onslaught of winter storms is expected to stick around for most of the month," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said, adding that there would be "a February frenzy of storms every few days in many places." AccuWeather's team of long-range experts accurately predicted in September that February would be an exceptionally active month for winter weather impacts across the country, especially in the Northeast. "This forecast [from September] is unfolding as expected," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said. The winter storm siege began this week as a storm unleashed snow, ice and slippery travel across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast from Wednesday night through Thursday. The same storm also caused damaging and deadly thunderstorms in Kentucky and Tennessee. Another snow- and ice-producing storm is set to move through the Northeast this weekend, with as many as three additional storms anticipated next week. "Snow and ice will abound from the southern Plains to the Northeast next week," Lundberg said. "To the south of that, there will be rounds of rain and thunderstorms, some of which can be severe." By the end of next week, parts of the Southeast experiencing repeated downpours could receive over half a foot of rain, raising the risk of flooding. Farther north, plowing and salt-spreading measures will continue in full force as each storm brings its own suite of winter precipitation. •Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ The path of each storm will be crucial in determining whether areas along the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast will receive primarily snow, ice or rain. Early next week, the storm track is expected to shift farther south compared to this past week, increasing the likelihood of all snow rather than mixed precipitation in cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. By later next week and next weekend, the storm track is expected to wobble north again. This will shift snow and ice concerns into more of the northern Plains, Upper Midwest, interior Northeast and northern New England. The barrage of storms will lead to widespread disruptions for millions from the Plains states to the Atlantic Seaboard, including hazardous commutes, school delays and cancellations, business and supply chain interruptions and travel delays at major airports. These disruptions may be intensified by the successive nature of the storms. Most of the storms in the frenzy will concentrate moisture on the eastern half of the nation through the middle of February. However, one storm late next week could deliver substantial rain to California, raising concerns about burn scar flooding in Southern California, before tracking eastward across the country. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
