Severe weather is expected to hit parts of the United States, including tornadoes and blizzards.

 

Severe weather is expected to hit parts of the United States, including tornadoes and blizzards.(Image: Getty Images)

On Monday, severe weather is expected to sweep across the eastern United States, bringing with it everything from tornadoes and thunderstorms to blizzard conditions and snow. On Monday morning, tornado watches were in effect in portions of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, and a wind advisory was in effect from Missouri to Maine. As much as 2ft (.6m) of snow has fallen in Wisconsin and northern Michigan since the storm began this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

 The bulk of the storm is expected to exit off the east coast into the Atlantic by Tuesday, with continued abnormally cold weather in its wake.

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According to CBS News, the media partner of the BBC, over 11 million people are under blizzard warnings and another 4 million are under winter storm warnings. According to flightaware.com, more than 2,000 flights had been canceled by Monday morning, and an additional 7,000 flights had been delayed. The O'Hare International airport in Chicago and LaGuardia in New York saw the majority of flight delays and cancellations. The majority of those without power were in Michigan, followed by Ohio and Georgia, which came in second and third, respectively. By Sunday afternoon, over 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow had fallen in the southeast of Minnesota. Monday was expected to bring even more snow and strong winds. The NWS stated, "Travel will be treacherous and potentially life-threatening due to expected whiteout conditions." According to CBS News, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has authorized the state's National Guard to assist in emergency operations. Parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia are expected to experience severe thunderstorms, with the National Weather Service predicting hail and "a tornado or two possible." 

Governor Josh Stein urged residents of North Carolina to enable emergency alerts on their phones because wind gusts were expected to exceed 74 mph (119 km/h) on Monday. Schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina closed on Monday.  In some districts in Wisconsin and Minnesota, schools are also closed. An extreme heat watch is scheduled to go into effect later this week for parts of southern California, Arizona, and Nevada on the opposite coast. There will be a "significant increase" in the likelihood of heat-related illness in southwest Arizona, where temperatures are expected to reach up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius). The high temperatures and dry, windy pattern is also expected to increase wildfire danger across parts of the West and High Plains.

 According to the state's Emergency Management Agency, around 30 National Guard troops were sent to Nebraska over the weekend to fight multiple wildfires. Nearly 1,000 sq miles (1,609 sq km) had already been damaged as of Saturday, the agency said.  There was news of at least one fatal fire.

Source: BBC