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Unseasonably warm conditions are creating a setup for severe thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday, threatening nearly 175 million people in the central and eastern U.S. with strong winds, large hail, and tornadoes.
March has already dealt a slew of potent storms and tallied up more tornado reports than as of the same time last year. Some of the same areas hit hard by a deadly storm two weeks ago could end up in the path of the next round of thunderstorms. While this weekend’s forecast doesn’t look to be as extreme, danger could ramp up quickly and there are millions of people potentially in harm’s way.
The weekend will start off feeling more like late May or early June from the Plains to the East Coast before a wide-reaching storm and potent cold front develop in the central US and race east.A few severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail are possible Saturday night, mainly from Kansas and Missouri to Iowa, as the storm starts to form. But a much more widespread and dangerous severe weather threat will develop on Sunday once the storm hits full strength.
Here’s what to expect this weekend and early next week.
Strong, long-lived tornadoes possible Sunday
A cold front stretching from the Midwest to the southern Plains on Sunday will erase any late-springlike heat that built up over the eastern half of the country. Chilly air behind this front will clash with warm, moist air ahead of it and explosive thunderstorms will develop where these two air masses meet.
More than 25 million people are under a level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms Sunday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Nashville, Indianapolis and St. Louis are just a few of the major cities included in this wide-reaching risk. An additional 45 million people are under a level 2 of 5 risk in surrounding areas, including Dallas, Chicago and Cleveland.
