Severe weather wallops central, eastern US forcing school closures and disrupting travel
One of the biggest storms so far in 2026 has upended travel and daily routines across dozens of states, with over 400 reports of severe weather on Sunday.
Storm chaser Brian Emfinger captured video of a brief rope tornado near Stuttgart, Arkansas, on March 15, which reportedly caused minor impacts in the area.
Key takeaways:
•Over 400 severe weather reports on Sunday
•18,000+ flights delayed, 4,000+ canceled over the weekend
•Many schools from South Carolina to Maryland are closed or plan early dismissals due to Monday's severe weather threat
A massive storm is shutting down travel, cutting power to hundreds of thousands and upending daily routines across the central and eastern United States -- in part due to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
The first round of powerful storms erupted on Sunday, with the risk shifting to highly-populated areas of the eastern U.S. on Monday.
“It is rare to forecast a high risk of severe weather from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas in mid-March," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Schools across the eastern U.S. have altered their schedules for Monday due to the severe weather risk, including closures and early dismissals.
A worker from the City of Bloomington closes a sidewalk along West Kirkwood Avenue after strong winds toppled a tree onto a house on March 15, 2026, in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images)
Over 4,000 flights were canceled, and another 18,000 delayed across the United States over the weekend, many of which connected to the triple-threat storm delivering severe weather, blizzard conditions and widespread winds across the United States.
Storms wallop over a dozen states
The first wave of destructive storms ignited on Sunday from Texas to Illinois, including areas hit hard by last week's severe weather outbreak.
Over 400 reports of severe weather were logged from the Gulf Coast states to the Ohio Valley on Sunday, with damaging winds being the most widespread danger. Over 350 reports of severe winds were documented across 17 states, contributing to over 150,000 power outages across the South.
Extreme Meteorologist Dr. Reed Timmer intercepted one of the tornado-warned storms near Stuttgart, Arkansas, on Sunday, where a rope tornado likely touched down.
Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer recorded a tornado spinning over Stuttgart, Arkansas, on March 15.
Cold air surged across the Mississippi Valley in the wake of Sunday's storms, causing temperatures to tumble into the 20s as far south as Texas and Alabama. Snow was reported as far south as Mississippi, although accumulations were limited to less than an inch in most areas.
The fresh blast of cold air could become dangerous for areas where power is out for several days following the severe weather. Low temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing across the region on Monday night and Tuesday night before warmer air slowly returns later in the week.
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