Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
March Megastorm May Bring Blizzards, Tornadoes, Flooding and Even Fires Across Much of US
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 months ago on
March 13, 2025

This satellite image from NOAA shows a March megastorm building across the United States, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (NOAA via AP)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

More than 100 million people in the U.S. will be in the path of an intense March storm starting Friday as the sprawling multi-day system threatens fires, blizzards, tornadoes, and flooding as it tracks eastward across the Great Plains.

Scientists said the storm’s strength and potential for far-reaching impacts is notable, but its timing isn’t particularly unusual. Extreme weather can pop up in spring because storms feed on big temperature differences between the warmth that’s starting to show up and the lingering chill of winter.

“If there’s a time of the year where a storm like this can deliver these coast-to-coast impacts, we are in it,” said Benjamin Reppert, meteorologist at Penn State University.

Megastorm Brings Winds, Fire Risk

The National Weather Service forecast strong winds stretching Friday from the Canadian border to the Rio Grande, with gusts up to 80 mph (130 kph), which creates a significant fire risk in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, a winter blast was expected farther north in parts of the Rockies and Northern Plains, with possible blizzard conditions in the Dakotas and Minnesota.

The central region from the Gulf Coast to Wisconsin is at risk of severe thunderstorms that could spawn tornadoes and hail. On Saturday, severe storms are forecast to move toward Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and then into Florida. Potential flooding was a concern from the Central Gulf Coast through the upper Ohio Valley.

The turbulent weather is expected to arrive on the East Coast Sunday with strong winds and a flash flooding risk in localized areas. Heavy rain was forecast along the Interstate 95 corridor south to Jacksonville, Florida.

Temperatures in Upper Atmosphere Close to Record Levels

Reppert noted that temperatures in the upper atmosphere in much of the central and eastern U.S. are close to record levels for this time of year, while a cool air mass behind the storm in the western states is one of the coolest on record for that region and this time of year. He said that combination could be behind part of this storm’s expected strength.

Russ Schumacher, a climatologist at Colorado State University, said the storm could become a bomb cyclone Friday afternoon or evening — a designation given when a storm intensifies so rapidly that atmospheric pressure drops a certain amount in a 24-hour period. That would mean higher winds and more intense rainfall.

In addition to fuel from big temperature swings, the storm will be shaped by the jet stream. In a fairly typical position for this time of year, it’s diving south across the U.S. and will help lift air and moisture into the atmosphere to fall back as rain.

The storm also will tap into heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, also referred to as the Gulf of America as declared by President Donald Trump, which is 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 2.2 degrees Celsius) warmer than historic averages.

“You kind of have this Goldilocks situation,” said Ryan Torn, professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany, referring to the mix of ingredients in the atmosphere that will add to the storm’s strength.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

He Was Killed in a Road Rage Shooting. AI Allowed Him to Deliver His Own Victim Impact Statement

DON'T MISS

Trump Urged Speaker Johnson to Raise Top Tax Rate, Source Says

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Plan 10-Hour Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety Operation for Saturday

DON'T MISS

Freeman’s Bases-Loaded Triple Helps Dodgers Beat Marlins

DON'T MISS

Robbie Ray Pitches 6 Effective Innings as the Giants Beat the Cubs

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Xzavier Isaha McGee

DON'T MISS

Fresno Author Teams Up With Valley Children’s to Help Kids Know More About Epilepsy

DON'T MISS

‘Gov. Greg Abbott, How Dare You? Officials in Texas Clash Over Gaza Resolution

DON'T MISS

US Cardinal Prevost Elected Pope Leo XIV, First American Pontiff

DON'T MISS

State Bar’s Botched Exam for New Lawyers Is CA’s Latest Entry to the Hall of Shame

UP NEXT

Trump Urged Speaker Johnson to Raise Top Tax Rate, Source Says

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Plan 10-Hour Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety Operation for Saturday

UP NEXT

Freeman’s Bases-Loaded Triple Helps Dodgers Beat Marlins

UP NEXT

Robbie Ray Pitches 6 Effective Innings as the Giants Beat the Cubs

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Xzavier Isaha McGee

UP NEXT

Fresno Author Teams Up With Valley Children’s to Help Kids Know More About Epilepsy

UP NEXT

‘Gov. Greg Abbott, How Dare You? Officials in Texas Clash Over Gaza Resolution

UP NEXT

US Cardinal Prevost Elected Pope Leo XIV, First American Pontiff

UP NEXT

State Bar’s Botched Exam for New Lawyers Is CA’s Latest Entry to the Hall of Shame

UP NEXT

I Applaud Fresno Unified’s New Focus, but the Plan Needs Work

Freeman’s Bases-Loaded Triple Helps Dodgers Beat Marlins

36 minutes ago

Robbie Ray Pitches 6 Effective Innings as the Giants Beat the Cubs

40 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Xzavier Isaha McGee

42 minutes ago

Fresno Author Teams Up With Valley Children’s to Help Kids Know More About Epilepsy

52 minutes ago

‘Gov. Greg Abbott, How Dare You? Officials in Texas Clash Over Gaza Resolution

60 minutes ago

US Cardinal Prevost Elected Pope Leo XIV, First American Pontiff

1 hour ago

State Bar’s Botched Exam for New Lawyers Is CA’s Latest Entry to the Hall of Shame

1 hour ago

I Applaud Fresno Unified’s New Focus, but the Plan Needs Work

1 hour ago

Looking for a Perfect Companion? Mittens Is One Handsome Kitten

2 hours ago

White Smoke Billows From Sistine Chapel as New Pope Elected

2 hours ago

He Was Killed in a Road Rage Shooting. AI Allowed Him to Deliver His Own Victim Impact Statement

CHANDLER, Ariz. — There were dozens of statements submitted to the court by family and friends of Christopher Pelkey when it came time to se...

8 minutes ago

8 minutes ago

He Was Killed in a Road Rage Shooting. AI Allowed Him to Deliver His Own Victim Impact Statement

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)
26 minutes ago

Trump Urged Speaker Johnson to Raise Top Tax Rate, Source Says

36 minutes ago

Fresno Police Plan 10-Hour Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety Operation for Saturday

36 minutes ago

Freeman’s Bases-Loaded Triple Helps Dodgers Beat Marlins

40 minutes ago

Robbie Ray Pitches 6 Effective Innings as the Giants Beat the Cubs

Xzavier Isaha McGee is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 8, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
42 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Xzavier Isaha McGee

52 minutes ago

Fresno Author Teams Up With Valley Children’s to Help Kids Know More About Epilepsy

60 minutes ago

‘Gov. Greg Abbott, How Dare You? Officials in Texas Clash Over Gaza Resolution

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend