Monster storm heading east this weekend to spew tornadoes, hail and snow

• The threat Saturday will be minimal.
• Over a dozen states may be at risk of severe weather Sunday, AccuWeather predicted.
• On Monday, severe weather will likely hit cities in the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic.

Weather will have its own version of March Madness this weekend as yet another outbreak of wild weather is forecast to slam a large section of the country.

"A severe weather threat is in place from the Mississippi and Ohio valleys into the Southeast starting this weekend, with possible damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes,' said Weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast. Wintry weather will also plague portions of the northern tier this weekend, forecasters said.

Already this month, three separate severe weather outbreaks have led to more than 220 tornadoes and nearly 1,900 other reported incidents including high winds and hail, AccuWeather reported.

"Compared to March 2024, this is about double the amount of severe weather incidents, with nearly four times the number of tornadoes," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "The storm spanning March 14-16 alone brought more tornadoes and overall severe weather incidents than all of March 2024."

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Saturday storminess includes snow and ice

Though the threat Saturday will be minimal, a few severe storms could fire up in the Mississippi Valley. Cities at risk for severe thunderstorms Saturday include St. Louis, Memphis, Louisville, and Nashville, AccuWeather said.

"Farther north, on the storm's northern flank — like several other similar storms this month — a swath of snow and ice will occur," Sosnowski said. "Wintry precipitation may extend from central Colorado and eastern Wyoming to parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, and the northern parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New England."

Several hours of freezing rain may lead to a buildup of ice from late Friday night to early Saturday from parts of northern Minnesota eastward to portions of Vermont and Massachusetts, he added.

Severe weather outbreak possible on Sunday

Sunday will likely be the most active day for severe storms this weekend, as the threat area stretches across much of the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, Tonks said. Over a dozen states may be at risk of severe weather Sunday, AccuWeather predicted.

All severe threats will be possible Sunday: "By early afternoon, severe and supercell storms are expected, accompanied by the risk for very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes," the Storm Prediction Center said.

Cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, and Columbus are in the risk area Sunday.

Monday mayhem in weather forecast

On Monday, severe weather will likely continue ahead of the cold front from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic, possibly including Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Columbia, South Carolina; and Richmond, Virginia, Tonks said.

Wind damage, large hail and some tornado threats could accompany any storms that turn severe, she said.

Western storm approaches

Meanwhile, a separate system should spread precipitation into the West from late weekend into early next week. Specifically, an area of rain and high-elevation snow should reach into the West by Sunday-Monday, most likely from northern California into the Pacific Northwest and perhaps extending into the northern Rockies by early next week, the National Weather Service said.