Eleven tornadoes were reported across the Midwest, with five coming in Illinois, four in Ohio and two in Michigan, the US Storm Prediction Center said as of 7 a.m. New York time. In addition, there were 36 instances of high winds and 67 hail reports.
The dangerous weather has shifted south and east with tornado watches posted from northern Tennessee to southeastern Ohio and West Virginia, the National Weather Service said.
Chicago and the Midwest also had a wild shift in temperatures. Tuesday’s high at Chicago O’Hare International Airport was 74F (23C). At 6 a.m. local time it was 28F and the overnight low is forecast to fall to 20F. Readings will rebound through the rest of the week eventually reaching into the 60sF this weekend.
Meanwhile, an atmospheric river will strike the Pacific Northwest spreading rain and snow south into California over the weekend. A blizzard warning is in effect across the Sierra Nevada from 4 a.m. local time Thursday through 10 a.m. Saturday, the weather service said.
In Texas, a surface high pressure system moving across Nebraska will shift the winds fanning wildfires across the panhandle. Fire fighters in the area will likely get some help from nature overnight when light rain and snow is expected to fall, said David Roth, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center.
In other weather news:
Australia: Fire danger remains high across parts of Victoria as dry, hot, gusting winds continue. There is a chance of dry thunderstorms moving through the area, which can spark blazes.
India: Heavy rain and snow will fall across the western Himalayan region from Feb. 29 to March 1, the India Meteorological Department said.
There is also a chance of heavy rain across northwest India from March 1 to March 3.
Photo: Dark blue storm clouds hangover grain silos in rural Illinois, U.S. Photographer: Bloomberg Creative Photos/Bloomberg