Topline
Millions of people across the Midwest, Northeast and the Deep South are bracing for a week of dangerous weather—including winter storms that could bring two feet of spring snow, dangerous thunderstorms and potentially deadly tornadoes in multiple regions.
Wisconsin, Michigan and New England could see feet of spring snow, while tornadoes threaten Kentucky ... [+]
Key Facts
Northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were placed under a winter storm watch through Wednesday, and the region is expected to see “wet and heavy snow” and wind gusts as strong as 45 miles per hour that could cause damage to tree limbs and power lines, the National Weather Service station in Green Bay said.
Marquette and other regions along the shore of Lake Superior could see as much as two feet of snow from Tuesday night through Wednesday night, while the rest of the region will likely see 8-12 inches, the NWS said.
Winter storms will also develop in the northeast on Wednesday afternoon and continue through Friday, the NWS in Albany said, with the potential for up to seven inches of snow and sleet and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour—making travel “difficult to impossible” in upstate New York, western Massachusetts and most of northern New England.
Another storm will move through the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi river valleys bringing a high chance of severe thunderstorms, winds up to 60 miles per hour, hail up to two inches in diameter and potential tornados.
A tornado watch was declared in central Kentucky, including the state capitol of Lexington and the city of Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville, on Tuesday morning, and the NWS advised residents to remain on alert and seek shelter in a basement or small central room if a tornado is spotted.
Florida and other parts of the southeast could also see severe thunderstorms on Tuesday night and Wednesday, the NWS in Jacksonville reported, which could bring severe wind, hail and “isolated” tornadoes.
What To Watch For
Heavy winds and snow have the potential to knock out power in parts of the Midwest throughout the week. At least 25,000 customers in southern Indiana already lost power on Tuesday morning, while another 19,000 lost power in central Kentucky, according to online tracker Poweroutage.us. The storms in the region are expected to intensify around 11 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Key Background
Only four months into the year, the U.S. has already seen significant winter storms and tornadoes across the country. California has seen multiple atmospheric river storms, including a February storm which broke rainfall records across the southern portion of the state and threatened Los Angeles with floods and mudslides. In March, a major winter storm struck the Rocky Mountains, bringing over four feet of snow to parts of Colorado, shutting down interstate highways and leaving thousands without electricity. Later in March, a large storm system struck the border of Indiana and Ohio, which spawned a series of tornadoes including a devastating EF-2 tornado in Richland County. The storms devastated the region, destroying property, knocking out power for thousands and killing at least three people.
Tangent
This year's dangerous weather pattern in April is not unprecedented. In 2020, a storm system struck the southeast, spawning a total of 24 tornadoes across the state of Mississippi in April, including an EF-4 tornado that grew to about 2.25 miles wide in diameter. The storm system was one of the deadliest in state history, killing 12 people and injuring over 100 more, according to the NWS.