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Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain Across the Southern and Eastern US; Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Showers and thunderstorms are expected across the southern and eastern US this week, with heavy rain and localized flooding, particularly near the Gulf Coast. Monsoonal moisture will bring rain and potential flooding to parts of the Southwest. Heat and fire weather threats will continue to impact the West. Read More >

Overview

During the afternoon and evening of Saturday, March 5th, a strong early spring low pressure system tracked through the Midwest. Storms developed during the afternoon in Iowa and produced multiple tornadoes before eventually merging into a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) that moved eastward into northern Illinois by mid-evening. Multiple wind gusts of 70 mph or greater were noted across the NWS Chicago county warning area as this line of storms moved through, and even an 81 mph gust was observed at Rockford Airport.

In addition to the storms, the low pressure system was also responsible for producing non-thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 50 mph in some locations both before and after the line of storms rolled through the area.

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Additional recaps can be found on the NWS Chicago Past Events Page
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