High risk for severe weather to erupt in the eastern US; also, Summerlike heat dome to send Southwest temperatures soaring past 100

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AccuWeather meteorologists are sounding the alarm bells for widespread severe risk stretching

across the Eastern U.S. on Monday.

Over a dozen states will be at risk for severe thunderstorms.

As the triple threat March Megastorm moves across the U.S. bringing blizzard conditions

and high winds to parts of the Midwest, a large squall line of thunderstorms is expected

to stretch along the associated Arctic Front as it moves eastward Monday.

Some of these thunderstorms will be capable of producing destructive winds, tornadoes,

and torrential downpours.

The severe risk began Sunday afternoon stretching from Texas to southwestern Michigan as the

Front interacted with surging moisture streaming in from the Gulf, a line of potent thunderstorms

developed late Sunday and began to race east across the U.S. bringing everything from

damaging wind gusts and torrential downpours to hail and even a few tornadoes.

The strongest wind gust reported so far was 77 miles per hour in Mentorne, Arkansas.

As expected, the March Megastorm generated a slew of power outages from Michigan to Texas

as of Monday morning over 500,000 customers were without power across the U.S. according

to poweroutage.us.

The Front and associated line of thunderstorms move eastward towards the eastern seaboard,

so too will the risk of severe weather.

At least some risk of severe thunderstorms is expected to stretch from Florida to New York.

AccuWeather meteorologists have upgraded the risk to high from York, Pennsylvania to Columbia, South Carolina.

The primary hazard once again will be widespread, damaging straight line wind gusts,

but there can also be downpours and a few tornadoes, winds can gust up to 80 miles per hour with an

AccuWeather local storm max of 100 miles per hour. AccuWeather meteorologist John Porter said a few

tornadoes, including the possibility of an especially intense tornado, cannot be ruled out,

especially from near the Baltimore and DC metro areas through Virginia and into North Carolina.

Severe storms could coincide with the evening commute in many metro areas, including Philadelphia,

DC and Richmond, further slowing travel times, especially, where there are downed trees or

power lines. Downpours reducing visibility and causing ponding on roadways can also impact the

evening commute. Ground stops can also occur at airports throughout the region.

Now shifting focus out to the southwest, temperatures will climb well into the 90s,

with some areas forecast to top 100 degrees through this week. While those numbers may not seem

extreme for the southwestern U.S., they are running one to two months ahead of historical

averages and could have implications for wildfire risk and water supplies across the interior

southwest later on this year. A persistent area of high pressure at multiple levels of the atmosphere,

known as a heat dome will intensify in the coming days and may be slow to break down.

Heat will build with a summer-like vengeance this week across the region,

reaching levels that typically do not occur until May or June. From Monday through Thursday,

temperatures in downtown LA are forecast to come within a few degrees of record highs,

with some records stating back to 1914. Across the interior, especially in the deserts of Southern

California, Nevada, and Arizona, high temps will push the 100 degree threshold. Las Vegas has

never reached triple digits before May 1st. Accuether meteorologists project temperatures will approach

the century mark later this week into the weekend. In Phoenix, the earliest 100 degree reading

occurred on March 26, 1988. Multiple days at or above 100 are likely throughout the week,

including highs near 101 Wednesday and 104 on Thursday. That level of heat is typical of mid-June.

In Death Valley, California, the projected high of 105 on Wednesday would not only

challenge the record for the earliest 100 degree reading by a day or two,

but it would also shatter the record for the earliest 105 degree temp set on April 1st, 1966.

The heat could cause flowers to wilt amid the best super bloom in a decade while the

temporary lake that has formed in Death Valley could quickly dry up. The heat will expand across

the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies, accelerating snow melt in the high country. Temperatures may reach

70 at elevations around 7,000 feet in the Sierra this week, and daily record highs are possible.

Denver's earliest 90 degree reading on record occurred on April 30, 1992. Temperatures are

forecast to surge to around 90 later this week there. The surging heat will dry out vegetation quickly

increasing the risk of wildfire ignition. However, with winds forecast to remain relatively light

across much of California, the overall wildfire threat should stay limited in the short term.

Farther east from the Rockies to the High Plains winds will kick up on occasion,

so with the ongoing drought, wildfire risk will be substantially higher this spring.

That's all for now. You can find more regional forecasts and science-based articles at AccuWeather.com,

stay weather aware and download the AccuWeather app. Enjoy the rest of your day. Be safe.

I'll be back tomorrow with more from AccuWeather.