High winds cause power outages and property destruction as wild March weather blows in

High winds cause power outages, property damage and at least 1 death as wild March weather blows in 1 of 3 | The Chicago River was glowing a bright emerald green on Saturday as the city kicks off its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, a tradition started in 1962 by the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130. 2 of 3 | Malcolm and Lincoln firefighters respond to a wildfire in Denton, Neb., on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Kenneth Ferriera/Omaha World-Herald via AP) 3 of 3 | In this photo provided by Maui County, a boat is grounded on a beach off Kihei, Hawaii, during heavy rain on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Maui County via AP) 1 of 3 The Chicago River was glowing a bright emerald green on Saturday as the city kicks off its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, a tradition started in 1962 by the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 3 Malcolm and Lincoln firefighters respond to a wildfire in Denton, Neb., on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Kenneth Ferriera/Omaha World-Herald via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 3 In this photo provided by Maui County, a boat is grounded on a beach off Kihei, Hawaii, during heavy rain on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Maui County via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power Saturday after high winds raked eastward from the Great Lakes region, leaving trees down and substantial property damage in their wake. Farther west, at least one person died in a massive wind-driven wildfire in Nebraska.About 346,00 customers were still without electricity as of the late afternoon in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide. A 66 mph (106 kph) gust at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday was deemed its fourth-strongest on record that was not caused by a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport saw winds hit 85 mph (137 km) that afternoon. Winds took down a gas station canopy in New Franklin, Ohio, and an auto parts store sign in Baldwin, Pennsylvania. Trees and tree limbs fell into or onto homes and cars from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. The roof of a school building in the Chicago suburb of Niles, Illinois, was severely damaged by wind. High winds fueled multiple wildfires across a broad swath of Nebraska’s range and grassland, causing one death in Arthur County, officials said. The victim was not immediately identified, and the sheriff’s office did not disclose other details about the death. What state officials have dubbed the Morrill County fire has burned at least 735 square miles (about 1,880 square kilometers) so far across four counties. At least 12 structures have been destroyed, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. Chelle Ladely of Sidney said her home was currently safe, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the nearest fire. But she worries for other friends and family in the area.“Smoke is filling the air, and at night I can see the burn of the fires on the horizon,” Ladely said. “My father is a crop agronomist, and his company as well as other local farmers are all gathering their water trucks to help aid with the fires, and truckloads of bottled water and food is being supplied by our good patrons for our volunteer firemen trying to extinguish the blazes.” Several other wildfires pushed by winds of up to 65 mph (105 kph) burned another 225 square miles (about 580 square kilometers) for a total of nearly 938 square miles (about 2,430 square kilometers) by midday Saturday. The strong winds have kept firefighters from containing any of the fires, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said. Gov. Jim Pillen toured areas burned by the Morrill County fire.In Chicago, thousands of revelers turned out to see the city’s namesake river dyed bright green and a downtown parade celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, despite the threat of snow and stiff winds that drove the feels-like temperature well below freezing.Dangerous winds were but one piece of a wild weather mosaic that included heavy rains in Hawaii, triple-digit heat coming next week in Phoenix and a return of winter cold to the Midwest and Northeast. Chicago was forecast to approach the single digits Fahrenheit by Tuesday, with Minneapolis seeing lows around zero (minus 18 C).