On Tuesday and Wednesday, a significant winter storm is expected to move across most of the United States, bringing with it strong winds, huge hail, and perhaps more than a dozen tornadoes.
Beginning in Texas and moving eastward, the low-pressure system is predicted to move as far north as Pennsylvania and New Jersey and as far south as Florida before settling just outside of New York City, which could still see some thunderstorms.
“It is going to be a very, very windy time for the eastern two-thirds of the nation,’’ AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. “So, it could be fairly gusty on Tuesday and Wednesday from the Rockies all the way to the East Coast.”
According to DaSilva, wind gusts in the most impacted areas are expected to reach 60–70 mph and may even reach 100 mph in certain isolated locations. This might lead to felled trees and electrical lines, which could result in blackouts. Even areas with a reduced probability of severe weather, like midwestern cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis, might see winds of 40 mph or more on Wednesday. However, the Southeastern U.S. is expected to be hardest hit.
According to AccuWeather, the storm may affect up to 170 million people in more than 20 states, ranging from the Midwest and East to the southern Plains. As the severe weather strikes airports close to key population centers, the outlet anticipates significant flight cancellations and delays.
There will be a higher chance of “very strong damaging winds, tornadoes, and at least some areas of large hail” in the intersection of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas as well as throughout the central Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service.
Residents were advised to assemble an emergency kit containing necessities by the service’s Forth Worth, Texas, office, which issued a warning about the severe weather that would be expected late Monday and into Tuesday morning. The high winds and low humidity on Tuesday also prompted the office to warn of “critical fire weather” in the Dallas area.
Meteorologist Allan Curtis of the NWS’s Kansas City office stated that late Monday afternoon forecasts were “hammering home the potential for 60-70+ mph wind gusts” over portions of eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and west-central Missouri.
In addition to being in the path of powerful straight-line winds, DaSilva identified northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and portions of Mississippi as likely tornado landing locations through early Wednesday afternoon.
As of March 2, there has been 61 confirmed tornadoes in the United States this year, which is less than half of the 138 average for that time of year. DaSilva stated that the quantity of twisters is less important than where and when they strike, and that number is set to change soon. Because they can strike homes while people are asleep and not prepared to seek shelter, nocturnal tornadoes are especially dangerous.
He remarked, “It really only takes one.” “People will truly remember it if a single, extremely strong tornado passes through a densely populated area. All we ask is that individuals exercise caution.
Forecasters warn of budget cuts and layoffs.
National weather specialists said they are concerned that the hazard during these extreme weather occurrences may be heightened by the Trump administration’s government cuts, which led to hundreds of workers quitting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the meteorological service.
“The American Meteorological Society stated on Monday that recent layoffs in the government workforce for science are likely to cause irreversible harm and have far-reaching consequences for public safety, economic well-being, and the United States’ global leadership.”
In order to fulfill his campaign pledge to cut the size of the federal government, President Donald Trump and his top adviser Elon Musk have turned to the Department of Government Efficiency.
According to James Spann, chief meteorologist for WBMA-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, the majority of weather service field offices are already understaffed.
In a social media post, Spann stated, “We all suffer if NWS products and services are reduced … especially during times of life-threatening weather.”
NOAA has stated that it is dedicated to informing the public about hazardous weather conditions. The organization “remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience,” spokeswoman Scott Smullen told USA TODAY.
A number of senior weather service meteorologists retired on Friday, joining the probationary staff who were fired. Other departing personnel also took administrative leave through September as part of the agency’s “Fork in the Road” strategy.
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