Major storm to bring severe weather and create critical wildfire risk for millions

Spring may almost be here but winter still has a sting in its tail, with a “robust winter storm” set to bring severe weather and potential power cuts to millions across much of the country this week — as Southern states face a critical risk of wildfires as winds and temperatures rise.

The major winter storm will make its way through the southern and central Plains on Monday, before reaching the Midwest on Tuesday and the Great Lakes by Wednesday, affecting almost two dozen states.

The National Weather Service warned that this low-pressure weather system is set to bring hazards, including up to 12 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada and as much as 24 inches for higher parts of the Great Basin and the Rockies. Strong winds could create blizzard conditions, making travel dangerous.

AccuWeather meteorologists predicted that the storm would affect as many as 170 million people with winds as strong as 70 mph, which could cause power outages from Texas to Oklahoma, as well as parts of Florida and the Northeast.

The weather service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said Sunday: “Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the primary hazards. This activity will persist thru Tuesday morning until exiting the region by midday Tuesday.”

Ironically, this winter storm will also create drier air, strong winds and lower humidity through the central and southern High Plains and parts of the Southwest — critical to extreme fire risk for eastern New Mexico and western Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday. The storm is expected to bring markedly higher-than-normal temperatures through Wednesday, with drought affecting multiple areas.

A state of emergency was declared Sunday in South Carolina, where 163 wildfires were burning Monday morning, forcing some people to evacuate. One fire in Horry County, near Myrtle Beach, had burned through more than 1,600 acres, or 2.5 square miles. There were also active fires in North Carolina and Georgia

The high-pressure weather system that’s driving these fires is likely to move offshore and will be replaced by rain Tuesday and Wednesday.

Climate change is increasing the length and intensity of wildfire season by fueling hotter and dryer conditions that are ideal for rapidly spreading wildfires. Parts of the U.S. West are experiencing up to three more weeks of wildfire weather, according to a study last year from Climate Central.

In the northern Piedmont region of North Carolina, where cities like Greensboro and Raleigh remain under red flag warnings for extreme fire danger, wildfire season has lengthened by nearly two weeks.

Elsewhere, the cold front of this week’s storm will meet the warm from the Gulf late Monday, triggering severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and possibly some tornadoes in the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley on Tuesday, the weather service said.

Flash flooding could occur in areas hit by heavy rain, with areas that have already experienced heavy downpours, such as Ohio and Tennessee, at greater risk.

The disruptive weather has the potential to cause widespread travel delays and could delay flights and trigger ground stops, AccuWeather warned.