Megastorm Threatens Central U.S. With Blizzard, Thunderstorms, Forecasters Warn

A powerful March megastorm is sweeping across the central United States, combining blizzard-like conditions with severe thunderstorms as it strengthens rapidly across the region.

“Power outage threat increasing:Damaging winds, weakened trees and icing may combine to produce scattered, to locally significant outages”

AccuWeather

Forecasters have labeled this storm system a significant weather event that will impact millions of Americans, particularly affecting areas from the Plains to the Great Lakes.

The Guardian

The storm originates over Wyoming as a low pressure system and is expected to intensify as it moves eastward across the country.

Meteorologists emphasize that this storm "definitely means business" and represents a serious weather threat requiring careful attention from residents in affected areas.

The Upper Midwest is experiencing particularly severe blizzard conditions with significant snowfall accumulations.

Areas from central Wisconsin to Michigan's Upper Peninsula are likely to see more than 2 feet of snow, with isolated higher totals.

USA TODAY

In south-eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, more than 20 inches of snow had already fallen by Sunday afternoon, with Minneapolis under blizzard warnings.

The heavy snow is forecast to expand from the Dakotas into Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, with the heaviest totals of 1 to locally 3 feet expected near the Twin Cities through central and northern Wisconsin and much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Blizzard conditions are likely in these areas as strong winds create near-zero visibility and extremely dangerous travel conditions.

Along with the blizzard conditions, the storm is producing severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and tornado threats across multiple states.

“Huge 'megastorm' will sweep US with dangerous weather, forecast says Severe weather watches, warnings and alerts blanketed the middle of the country as forecasters warned of blizzard-like conditions and thunderstorms”

USA TODAY

The National Weather Service has issued increased risk alerts stretching north to New York and south to Florida, with thunderstorms possible in New England.

AccuWeather forecasts a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms Monday from eastern South Carolina and North Carolina to southeastern Pennsylvania, including the Washington, D.C., Richmond and Raleigh metro areas.

The storm's warmer side will see severe thunderstorms sweep from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast from Sunday into Monday night, while strong winds of 40-60 mph roar across dozens of states from New Mexico to Maine.

Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warns that the severe thunderstorms may produce widespread damaging winds and a few tornadoes, particularly affecting areas still recovering from January's ice storm.

The megastorm is causing widespread travel disruptions and power outages affecting millions of Americans.

More than 600 flights flying out of and into the Minneapolis-Saint Paul international airport were canceled on Sunday, with dozens more through Detroit also scrapped.

USA TODAY

Major travel impacts are expected on Interstates 29, 35, 41, 75, 80, 90, and 94, as well as at airports in Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chicago and Minneapolis.

Power outage threats are increasing due to damaging winds, weakened trees, and icing that may combine to produce scattered to locally significant outages.

More than 210,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity as of Sunday afternoon, with some originating from Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph.

Aaron Haas, a snowplow driver in Wisconsin, described the conditions as "one of the worst storms he had seen in years" with snow piles as high as his truck making highway navigation impossible.

The storm is also triggering additional weather hazards including wildfires and extreme wind conditions.

“Winter’s grip has yet to release as an erratic patchwork of severe weather moved across much of the US, dumping heavy snow and making roads impassable in the upper midwest while damaging high winds swept across the Plains”

The Guardian

In Nebraska, about 30 national guard members were deployed to help combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland.

The Guardian

As of Saturday, three of the largest wildfires had damaged well over 900 square miles, with one fire-related fatality reported on Friday.

Governor Jim Pillen urged residents to follow evacuation orders, noting that winds were "supposed to be extraordinary" on Sunday.

The weather service issued a high-wind warning for most of Nebraska, with wind gusts of up to 60 mph possible amid falling snow.

Roys from AccuWeather indicated that high winds would affect a region stretching from the US-Mexico border to the Great Lakes, and from Denver eastward to the Appalachian Mountains.

Residents in affected areas are preparing to hunker down, with Jim Allen on Michigan's Upper Peninsula stating his family was "basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to."