Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall for the Southwest; Heat Spreads Across the Center of the Nation

Moisture will continue to move into areas of the West. This will increase showers and thunderstorms coverage and intensity, with the risk of flash flooding and damaging wind gusts. Meanwhile, heat across the Southwest will expand into the center of the nation this weekend into early next week. Trends favor this heat will spread across the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic next week. Read More >

3/19/2003 - Event Summary

At the surface, a strong area of low pressure was centered over eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas on the morning of the 19th. A stationary front extended from the low into the Ohio Valley. A strong cold front trailed from the low into northeastern Arkansas and Mississippi. Storms developed in the late morning into the early afternoon hours as the cold front pushed near and east of the I-65 corridor. Some of these as seen below produced damaging winds, hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter, and tornadoes.