Much of the country might be experiencing some remarkably warm weather currently, but that isn’t true everywhere. According to DirectWeather, a significant and violent cold front is driving one of the more notable severe weather events of the season across much of the eastern United States, with dangerous conditions expected to persist throughout Monday, March 16th.
A strong low pressure system centered over northern Illinois is producing an outbreak of severe weather across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 4 out of 5 moderate risk for portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and DC for Monday, with a 60% probability of damaging winds within 25 miles of a given location. Tornado chances are elevated as well, with a 15% tornado probability within 25 miles across the moderate risk area. Large hail is a secondary concern, particularly across Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.
On the northern side of the same system, a major winter storm is delivering heavy snowfall to Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with the European model projecting multi-foot totals across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois through the two-week period.
The cold front itself is historically sharp. Temperatures ahead of the front are running 20 to 25 degrees above normal, while areas immediately behind it are 20 to 25 degrees below normal, creating a 40 to 50 degree contrast across a narrow zone. Much of the East Coast will go from near 70 degrees on Monday to January-like conditions by Tuesday.
The pattern remains active beyond this system. A clipper is expected around Wednesday, March 18, with additional storm threats possible late in the month. Model agreement on specifics beyond 10 days is limited, but the overall signal points toward a continued unsettled and colder-than-normal pattern through late March.
