Eastern Cornbelt:
The work week began with severe thunderstorm warnings across central and northern Indiana, with reports of 60-mph wind gusts and heavy rainfall. Those conditions were a big change from the weekend, when Indianapolis posted a daily record high temperature of 77 degrees on March 5.
Temperatures in the high-40s to low-50s were reported in central and southern Illinois at midweek, but rain and an inch or two of snow was expected across central Illinois as the week progressed, with lows dropping to the 20s and 30s on March 10-11. Snowfall and much colder temperatures were also expected in southern Illinois by March 11.
Northern Ohio also experienced numerous snow flurries during the week, with some locations expecting 1-3 inches of accumulation by March 11. Much colder weather was on tap for the coming weekend, with highs across northern Ohio hovering in the 20s and wind chills dipping into the single digits.
Western Cornbelt:
A powerful storm system produced a total of ten confirmed tornadoes in Iowa on March 5, causing seven deaths across the state. Gov. Kim Reynolds on March 7 issued a disaster proclamation for ten or more counties in response to the storm.
One of the tornadoes, an EF4 that touched down in Madison County and caused six deaths and extreme damage to areas near Winterset, traveled 69.5 miles, with estimated peak winds at 170 mph and a width of 800 yards at certain times. The tornado was the first EF4 in Iowa since October 2014, and the second-longest tornado path in the state since 1980.
As the week advanced, another weather system was expected to bring snow and much colder temperatures to parts of Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri on March 10-12. Forecasts warned of an inch or more of snow in Omaha, southern Iowa, and south central Missouri, with heavier amounts in west central Missouri. Temperatures on March 11-12 were expected to fall to the teens and single digits, with wind chills approaching the negative double digits in parts of Iowa.
Northern Plains:
Cold temperatures were reported across much of the Northern Plains after winter storms blanketed parts of central and southern Minnesota with 4-6 inches of snow on March 6.
Highs in the teens and 20s were reported in Minnesota and the Dakotas at the start of the week, but most areas experienced single-digit or subzero lows as the week progressed, along with 50 mph winds in parts of North Dakota.
Another round of snow was possible for the Twin Cities area late in the week before an expected rise in weekend temperatures, with forecasts suggesting highs in the 50s by mid-March.
The National Weather Service is predicting only minor to moderate flooding along the Red River this spring, weather officials reported on March 10. Last year’s drought left plenty of underground storage this season, the agency said, and long-term weather forecasts suggest a favorable spring thaw this year.
Northeast:
New England got a taste of winter weather during the week, with a weather system bringing blustery winds and a wintry mix of precipitation to many locations. After heavy rain from some severe thunderstorms on March 7, a second system produced 1-3 inches of wet snow across the region at midweek, along with temperatures in the 20s to mid-30s.
Snowfall in western New York and north central Pennsylvania ranged from 2-5 inches by midweek. Much of Maryland experienced a “weather whiplash” during the week, with temperatures falling from record highs in the upper-70s on March 6-7 to the mid-30s by March 8-9. Parts of Maryland also collected 2-4 inches of snow as the cold weather system moved through the state.
Warmer weather was on tap for the coming weekend, however, with highs expected in the 40s and 50s across New England and the mid-Atlantic.
Eastern Canada:
The week began with a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain across Ontario, with reports of 5-10 cm of snow accumulation in parts of southern Ontario.
After a return of warmer temperatures for much of the week, another winter blast was taking aim at Eastern Canada on March 11-13. Forecasts warned of weekend snowfall totaling 5 cm across the GTA, 5-10 cm in Ottawa, Ont., and the Niagara region, 10-15 cm from Kingston to Cornwall, Ont., and up to 15-20 cm in the Montreal area. As much as 20-30 cm was expected in Quebec City, with 30 cm or more across the Eastern Townships.
Strong winds of 50-70 km/h were expected to accompany the weekend snowfall before milder temperatures and more spring-like weather settles in at mid-month.