Severe storms pummel parts of US with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat

Severe storms pummel parts of US with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat 1 of 6 | Warnings of hazardous road conditions were issued across Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, where transportation officials warned of worsening conditions Sunday with low visibility and snow-covered roadways. 2 of 6 | Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 3 of 6 | People drive on a snow-covered freeway during a snow storm Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP) 4 of 6 | Malcolm and Lincoln firefighters respond to a wildfire in Denton, Neb., on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Kenneth Ferriera/Omaha World-Herald via AP) 5 of 6 | Mud is covers a street following heavy rains and flooding on the island of Maui, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in the community of North Kihei, Hawaii. (Athena Walsh via AP) 6 of 6 | Fans walk through snowy streets before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 1 of 6 Warnings of hazardous road conditions were issued across Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, where transportation officials warned of worsening conditions Sunday with low visibility and snow-covered roadways. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 6 Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 6 People drive on a snow-covered freeway during a snow storm Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 6 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. 5 of 6 Mud is covers a street following heavy rains and flooding on the island of Maui, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in the community of North Kihei, Hawaii. (Athena Walsh via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 6 Fans walk through snowy streets before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 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] CHICAGO (AP) — Successive punches of snow and wind were set to impact the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation and made roads impassable in the Upper Midwest.Forecasters said mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., were at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes. The cold front was expected to move off the East Coast by Tuesday, bringing sharply colder weather in its wake, forecasters said.The late winter blast comes as Hawaii continued to be affected by a separate storm system that caused severe flooding over the weekend. Forecasters warn about line of storms, tornadoesThe National Weather Service that warned a line of severe storms with damaging winds would cross much of the Eastern U.S. After firing up Sunday, the storms were crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians, then move toward the East Coast, where “severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes” were expected, the service said.A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and the nation’s capital. Officials said schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, would be closed Monday. Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts of 74 mph (119 kph).Beyond the threat to lives and property, “whether it’s wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, you’re looking at several major airports being impacted,“ said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys. Big snows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, MichiganAn area from central Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was likely to see over 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow, with higher isolated totals on the peninsula, Roys said. Lower snow accumulations in places such as Chicago and Milwaukee will likely create trouble for commuters on Monday, he added. Jim Allen, 45, who lives on the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities and he was ready to clear snow several times Sunday with a shovel and snowblower.“We’re basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to,” Allen said.More than 600 flights were canceled at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions. Dozens more through Detroit were scrapped. O’Hare and Midway international airports in Chicago reported more than 850 cancellations. Power outages remain, some from earlier high windsMore than 210,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. Some originated on Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph (137 km). Widespread outages also were reported in parts of Pennsylvania and Arkansas.In Nebraska, about 30 National Guard members were deployed to combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland, state officials said. One fire-related fatality was reported. Landslides, rescues, collapsed home on MauiRain continued falling on Sunday in Hawaii, where acres of farmland and homes have been flooded, roads have been closed and shelters opened. Some areas of Maui received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post. Maui County later on Sunday downgraded an evacuation notice and said crews were pumping water from retentions basins to keep them at safe levels.Resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal road’s collapse Saturday, said other parts of the road were flooded out by mud and sediment.“In the 20 years I’ve been here I’ve never seen this much rain,” he said.__Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, also contributed to this report. Brown is based in Billings, Montana. He covers breaking news, the environment, politics, energy, crime and more.