Weekend severe weather threat puts millions in nearly two dozen states on alert starting Sunday
The FOX Forecast Center said there have been more than 2,000 severe weather reports this month, including more than 100 confirmed tornadoes during deadly severe weather outbreaks.
Severe weather threat puts millions in nearly two-dozen states on alert this weekend
Tens of millions of people in nearly two-dozen states from the Plains to mid-Atlantic will be on alert for severe weather this weekend into the first part of next week. FOX Weather Meteorologists Britta Merwin and Michael Estime break down the latest forecast on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
Fast Facts:
- Areas devastated by deadly tornado outbreaks earlier this month will be on alert this weekend.
- The strengthening system could produce damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes.
- Severe weather is possible from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley on Sunday and from the Southeast to mid-Atlantic on Monday.
Severe weather has impacted the U.S. throughout March, and unfortunately, that trend is going to continue for the third straight weekend as tens of millions of people in nearly two dozen states prepare for powerful storms starting on Sunday.
So far, the FOX Forecast Center said there have been more than 2,000 severe weather reports this month, including more than 100 confirmed tornadoes during deadly severe weather outbreaks.
Watch: Tornado hits FOX 35 Orlando studio while live on air
Severe weather tore across portions of Central Florida on Monday, March 10, and a tornado hit the FOX 35 Orlando studio while they were live on the air.
"As we take a look at the beginning of severe weather season, it started with a bang, right?" FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said. "We’ve already seen a slew of deadly tornadoes crop up. And this month, it’s not even over yet."
More than 40 people were killed nearly two weeks ago as a monster storm system swept across the U.S., producing tornadoes, dust storms, blizzard conditions and wildfires.
Thunderstorms packing vivid lightning and hurricane-force winds knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers, and communities from the Plains to the Southeast are still working to remove debris and begin the recovery process.
Before that, millions of people were impacted by severe weather that blasted across the same areas. Some Mardi Gras celebrations in the New Orleans area were forced to be postponed due to the threat, and damage was reported in Texas and Oklahoma.
Deaths were also reported in Mississippi due to the severe weather outbreak.
HOW PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS NOTIFY YOU DURING SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCIES
More severe weather likely during final weekend of March
The FOX Forecast Center is now monitoring the potential for another multiday severe weather threat as we close out March this weekend.
Forecasters say the developing storm system is expected to move into the Plains by late Saturday and strengthen as it tracks off to the east during the overnight hours.
By Sunday, the system will keep getting stronger and will likely bring the threat of severe weather across a large portion of the U.S., stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes region.
"I mean, it’s a big chunk of our country," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "It stretches from the Gulf all the way up through the Great Lakes. And then as we go into Monday, it just kind of slides off towards the east."
Large, violent tornado spotted over Taylorsville, Mississippi
Significant damage was done in Central Mississippi by a large, violent tornado on Saturday afternoon.
Nearly 52 million people will need to prepare for the possibility of strong to severe thunderstorms in major cities across the region starting on Sunday.
On Thursday morning, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) highlighted a threat zone stretching from Texas to Ohio.
Cities at risk include Dallas in Texas, Shreveport in Louisiana, Little Rock in Arkansas, Nashville and Memphis in Tennessee, Birmingham in Alabama, St. Louis in Missouri, Indianapolis in Indiana and Columbus in Ohio.
The forecast is still several days away, and the forecast will continue to be updated as we get closer to the weekend. However, it appears that the system will be capable of producing large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes over a very large area of the nation.
"But everything on Sunday is screaming the potential for tornadoes," Merwin continued. "The storm energy is so high. I mean, we’re going to have breaks of sunshine that we’re kind of adding to that instability. It’s going to feel like a severe weather day on Sunday."
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The threat will then shift to the East Coast from the Southeast to mid-Atlantic and even parts of the Northeast on Monday, putting more than 63 million people on alert.
The SPC highlighted a severe weather risk zone stretching from New Orleans along the Gulf Coast to Philadelphia and Washington.
Other cities that need to prepare for the possibility of severe weather on Monday include Atlanta in Georgia, Jacksonville in Florida, Charlotte in North Carolina and Norfolk in Virginia.
Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted if there are changes to the forecast.