Storms, blizzards and triple-digit heat put over half the U.S. at risk

From California’s heatwave to blizzards in the Midwest and storms pushing toward the East Coast, Monday’s weather created a patchwork of hazards that affected large sections of the country, according to the Associated Press. The day’s outlook included damaging winds and the risk of tornadoes in parts of the East, heavy snow and whiteout conditions in the Upper Midwest, and a separate heat threat aimed at the Southwest.

In an AP interview, National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley said more than 100 million people were experiencing some kind of severe weather. The private weather service AccuWeather calculated that more than 200 million people were under threat Monday of dangerous weather, spanning extreme heat and wildfire advisories as well as flood and freeze watches issued by the National Weather Service.

Travel and school schedules were disrupted as the worst of the forecasts moved across regions. The AP reported that airport delays and cancellations piled up in some of the nation’s largest airports, with more than 4,700 canceled across the U.S., and that many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic where high winds were forecast.

In Washington, federal officials prepared for rough weather by postponing House and Senate votes and telling workers to go home early, the AP reported. But by late afternoon, the expected severe conditions had not fully arrived, and a tornado watch expired.

As the system moved east, the hazards in different areas shifted quickly. The AP reported that blizzard conditions continued in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Monday after parts of Wisconsin and Michigan were hit with several feet of snow, and that since Saturday nearly 3 feet (91 centimeters) had fallen in the northern Wisconsin town of Mountain. The AP also reported that another round of snow and gusts on Monday could bring another foot of snow across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Temperatures were expected to swing sharply elsewhere as a heat dome over the Southwest pushed temperatures well into the triple digits. The AP reported that Arizona was set for triple-digit readings most of the week, earlier than normal, and that the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento were expected to see temperatures approaching 90 F (32 C) by midweek. AccuWeather meteorologist Dan DePodwin told the AP, “This is a heat wave that we have not seen before in recorded history in the Southwest,” and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday, “This is technically still winter,” adding, “This is not normal for March, obviously, but it is a sign of how climate change is impacting our city.”

While the heat threat grew in the West, wildfire risk remained tied to localized wind and dryness. The AP reported that dry and windy conditions were charging the largest wildfire in Nebraska’s history and that three fires in the state had consumed more than 1,140 square miles (about 2,953 square kilometers) of mostly grassland. The AP also reported that Gov. Jim Pillen said Monday, “Mother Nature is throwing a doozy at us.”

On the opposite end of the country from the heat, Hawaii faced a different set of impacts. The AP reported that unrelenting rains triggered landslides, washed away roads, and flooded homes and farmland over the weekend, with all of Hawaii’s islands seeing spots with more than 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain and parts of Maui receiving double that amount. While the worst of that storm had passed, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen told the AP there were no reports of injuries or deaths and crews were assessing damage, with more heavy rain expected later this week.

The AP said the storm system that had dropped snow by the foot in the Midwest was barreling toward the East Coast, where forecasters expected heavy rain and threatened high winds, prompting tornado warnings. The biggest threat for severe weather stretched from New Jersey to Virginia, and in New York City, officials warned of the potential for swift wind gusts overnight that could knock down tree limbs. The AP reported that four people, including a child, died Monday afternoon in New York City after a fire in a three-story apartment building spread during heavy winds, and it also said the National Weather Service confirmed four tornadoes in Missouri on Sunday that caused roof and tree damage, with no injuries reported.

Looking ahead, forecasters expected the storms to leave colder conditions in their wake across parts of the East Coast. The AP reported that the storm was expected to stick around parts of the Northeast until Tuesday morning and that wind chills below freezing were expected to reach the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle, with warnings in effect across the Southeast and in part of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. Behind the cold front, rain was expected to change over to snow in the central Appalachians, with heavy snow possible in West Virginia.

The AP story was originally published March 16, 2026, and updated March 18 to correct that 91 centimeters of snow fell on the northern Wisconsin town of Mountain, not 61 centimeters.