Severe weather outbreak across 20+ states into midweek brought nighttime tornado danger
Hundreds of severe storms are expected from the Plains to the East Coast this week, with high-risk zones for tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. A nighttime tornado threat puts Chicago, Dallas and other major cities at risk.
Severe storms unleashed destructive tornadoes and damaging hail throughout Illinois on March 10, as seen in this snapshot of the evening across the state.
A major severe weather outbreak occurred early this week, with hundreds of severe storm incidents across nearly two dozen states from the Plains to the Appalachians and the Gulf Coast.
Strong winds aloft, abundant moisture from the Gulf and sharp temperature contrasts created an environment supportive of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail. This setup led to the most expansive severe weather outbreak so far this year.
Severe storms tear through more than a dozen states from Monday to Wednesday
While fewer than three dozen severe weather incidents were recorded from Louisiana to Tennessee and Georgia Monday, they were just the start of an outbreak. Severe thunderstorms expanded across the Plains and Midwest Tuesday. There were close to 260 preliminary reports of severe weather, consisting of large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. There were fatalities.
Official National Weather Service crews will be investigating the damage and reports in the coming days to determine which storms produced straight-line wind gusts versus the twisting motion from tornadoes.
Some of the largest hailstones were as large as baseballs, softballs and grapefruit. Wind gusts in some of the thunderstorms reached the strength of a hurricane (74 mph or greater).
Severe weather continued to shift eastward on Wednesday. Reports of damaging wind gusts extended from far eastern Texas and Alabama to the Ohio Valley and New Jersey.
A multiday severe weather event last week claimed several lives Friday and produced one of the earliest strong tornadoes (EF3) in decades in Michigan. In Oklahoma, after dark last Thursday, a mother and daughter were killed as they encountered a tornado on the road.
Thunderstorms will continue to track east on Thursday, drenching much of the Southeast. Some hail and locally damaging winds within thunderstorm can also occur.
Thursday's storms may still be locally dangerous, damaging
The overall tornado threat may have diminished by Thursday, but thunderstorms are still likely to pack locally damaging wind gusts, hail and torrential downpours.
Motorists are urged to never drive across flooded roads, as the water may be rising rapidly or deeper than it appears and the road surface beneath may have been washed away.
Any rainfall that does not cause flooding will be beneficial for most areas in the Southeast, given the long-running drought. The upcoming rainfall will also help to ease the spring wildfire risk.
A few words about the lightning risk
Lightning is one of the most underestimated dangers in thunderstorms. In 2025, 20 people were killed by lightning in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. Dozens more are struck and survive annually, but many sustain serious injuries.
Lightning fatalities during work-related activities. (National Lightning Safety Council)
Experts urge people to move indoors at the first rumble of thunder. Vehicles with hard tops and substantial buildings offer protection from lightning, but golf carts, picnic pavilions and canopies do not.
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