Wild weather sweeps the US, with more storms and heat in the forecast A severe weather outbreak struck much of the United States on March 12, as conflicting atmospheric patterns led to extreme conditions across the country. Snowfall blanketed the Northwest, while the Southwest experienced intense heat, with winds reaching up to 90 mph east of the Rocky Mountains. The East Coast faced dramatic temperature fluctuations, marking a sharp shift in weather patterns. Meteorologists warn that similar conditions are expected to persist, with blizzard warnings for the Northern Plains and Great Lakes over the weekend of March 14-15, followed by another round of storms and cold in the eastern regions. Bob Oravec, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, explained that the weather system was particularly intense. He noted that a powerful storm system caused deadly tornadoes and six-inch hail in Indiana and Illinois earlier in the week, followed by a strong front that triggered a major weather shift in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland area. At Reagan National Airport, temperatures plummeted from 77 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 a.m. to heavy snowfall within 12 hours, with snow accumulating in grassy areas. The airport set a new record for the highest temperature on a day when snow was observed, surpassing its previous record by more than 10 degrees. Oravec described the transition from summer to winter conditions as "pretty dramatic," emphasizing the unusual speed of the change. He added that while such temperature contrasts are common during this time of year, the scale of the shift was rare.#national_weather_service #reagan_national_airport #pamlico_county #morehead_city #national_weather_service_weather_prediction_center
