Extreme Weather Conditions Grip Over Half of US

Blizzards, heat waves, and severe storms force flight cancellations and school closures across the country

Mar. 16, 2026 at 8:48pm

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Chaotic weather, from surprising heat in California to damaging winds around Washington, D.C., put over half the U.S. population in the path of extreme conditions on Monday. Storms across the nation's eastern half forced airlines to cancel roughly 4,000 flights nationwide, and many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states, where high winds and tornadoes were in the forecast for the evening. Blizzards buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota while torrential rains flooded homes and washed out roads in Hawaii.

Why it matters

The extreme weather conditions across the US highlight the growing threat of climate change, with more frequent and intense storms, heat waves, and other extreme weather events impacting communities nationwide. The disruptions to travel, school, and daily life underscore the need for improved infrastructure and emergency preparedness to mitigate the impacts of these extreme weather patterns.

The details

The storm system that dropped heavy snow in the Midwest is now barreling toward the East Coast, bringing the threat of damaging winds and potential tornadoes. In the Southwest, a heat dome is pushing temperatures well into the triple digits in Arizona, much earlier than normal. Wildfires in Nebraska have consumed over 900 square miles of mostly grassland, while unrelenting rains in Hawaii have triggered landslides, washed out roads, and flooded homes and farmland.

  • On Monday, storms across the nation's eastern half forced airlines to cancel roughly 4,000 flights nationwide.
  • On Monday, many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states due to the threat of high winds and tornadoes.
  • Since Saturday, nearly 3 feet of snow had fallen in the northern Wisconsin town of Mountain.
  • This week, a heat dome over the Southwest will push temperatures well into the triple digits in Arizona.
  • Over the weekend, unrelenting rains triggered landslides, washed away roads and flooded homes and farmland in Hawaii.

The players

Josh Stein

The governor of North Carolina, who urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected gusts topping 70 mph.

Richard Bissen

The mayor of Maui, who said there were no reports of injuries or deaths and crews were assessing damage from the heavy rains.

Dan DePodwin

An AccuWeather meteorologist who said this heat wave in the Southwest is unprecedented in recorded history.

Evan Bentley

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service who warned that the storm system could produce strong and long-track tornadoes.

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What they’re saying

“Wind is the primary threat, but within any of these areas of strong wind there could be some embedded tornadoes and even the potential for a tornado to develop ahead of the line.”

— Evan Bentley, Meteorologist, National Weather Service

“This is a heat wave that we have not seen before in recorded history in the Southwest.”

— Dan DePodwin, Meteorologist, AccuWeather

What’s next

The storm system is expected to leave sharply colder weather in its wake, with wind chills below freezing reaching the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle by Tuesday morning.

The takeaway

The extreme weather conditions across the US, from blizzards and tornadoes in the East to record-breaking heat in the Southwest, underscore the growing threat of climate change and the need for communities to improve their resilience and emergency preparedness in the face of these increasingly severe and unpredictable weather patterns.