Tens of millions of Americans were under severe weather alerts on March 16 as a winter storm threatened to bury the Great Lakes region in more snow and the Mid-Atlantic states braced for thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind and tornadoes.
The greatest risk stretched along the eastern half of the U.S. from Central Florida to New York, with the most serious risk of severe weather concentrated from Georgia through Maryland, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters say potent thunderstorms could bring hurricane-force winds, flooding rain and possible tornadoes to much of the Mid-Atlantic region, including Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina. The weather service issued a "Moderate Risk" level 4 out of 5 from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.
Forecasters warned that the storms could ground flights, uproot trees and trigger power outages across the region. Ahead of the severe weather, school districts in multiple states canceled class or adjusted school hours. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore declared a "State of Preparedness."
The worst of the storms is expected in the afternoon and evening hours, meteorologists said.
