Powerful Storm Brings Severe Thunderstorms, Feet of Snow Across US

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A massive, powerful storm is tracking across the United States, bringing the potential for a multi-day outbreak of severe thunderstorms as well as feet of snow and blizzard conditions in parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes. The storm has a wide range of impacts, including damaging winds, tornadoes, and heavy snowfall that could break records in some areas.

Why it matters

This powerful storm system has the potential to cause widespread damage and disruption across a large swath of the country, impacting millions of people. The combination of severe thunderstorms, heavy snow, and high winds raises serious concerns about public safety, power outages, and travel disruptions.

The details

On the storm's southern, warmer side, a Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is in place from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast on Sunday, with the threat of damaging winds, tornadoes, and large hail. The greatest risk of strong tornadoes exists in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, the northern, colder side of the storm has already dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest, with some areas forecast to see up to 4 feet of snow by Monday. Cities like Rochester, Minnesota, and Marquette, Michigan, could see record-breaking snowfall from this storm.

• The storm began forming on Saturday and has been impacting the northern Rockies and Great Lakes since then.
• The severe thunderstorm threat is expected to peak late Sunday afternoon and evening, continuing overnight into Monday.
• The heaviest snowfall is forecast to occur from Sunday through Monday, with blizzard conditions expected to continue into Monday.

What’s next

Weather forecasters will continue to monitor the storm's progress and provide updates on the potential for severe weather and heavy snowfall in the affected regions.