March tornado outbreaks tear from Oklahoma to Michigan, exposing early-season risks
Two major systems spawned 120+ tornadoes in early March, killing at least 11 from Oklahoma to Michigan and Illinois as officials review warnings and shelter gaps.
Weather
Weather forcast. Coverage of significant weather events and climate developments, including storms, heatwaves, and wildfires.
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Powerful Molucca Sea Quake Triggers Tsunami Alerts Across Eastern Indonesia; At Least One Dead
A magnitude 7.4–7.6 quake off North Maluku sparked tsunami warnings and evacuations in eastern Indonesia. Waves were modest, but damage and one death reported.
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Global Ocean Temperatures Near Record High as 2026 Spike Arrives Without El Niño Boost
Preliminary data show sea surface temperatures near record highs in March 2026 despite neutral Pacific conditions, raising risks for storms and reefs.
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NOAA Rates March 13–17 Blizzard ‘Extreme’ as Storm Iona Paralyzes Travel Across U.S. and Canada
NOAA assigns a rare Category 5 rating to the mid-March blizzard that dumped feet of snow, spawned 51 tornadoes and triggered mass outages and flight cancellations.
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Geomagnetic Storm Sparks Rare Aurora Sightings Far From the Poles
A CME-driven G3 geomagnetic storm on March 20–21 sent vivid auroras as far south as Wyoming and central Europe, with limited impacts reported.
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March Heat Dome Shatters Records in the West, Strains Water Supplies and Sends Hundreds to Medics
A rare March heat dome pushed temperatures past 100 in the West, triggered rapid snowmelt, heightened fire risk and sent hundreds for heat illness.
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Deep 7.5 Quake Spurs Tsunami Sirens in Tonga, but Waves Never Come
A magnitude 7.5 deep-focus quake off Vavaʻu triggered nationwide tsunami warnings and evacuations in Tonga before officials lifted the alert.
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Morrill Fire Scorches 643,000 Acres, Becomes Nebraska’s Largest Wildfire on Record
Wind-driven March blaze raced 70 miles across five counties, killing one and burning 643,000 acres—signaling a new megafire era for the Plains.
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Cyclone Narelle batters northern Australia in rare triple landfall as record-hot seas fuel rapid intensification
Cyclone Narelle struck Cape York, the NT Top End and WA’s North West Cape in one week, testing emergency systems and the new reinsurance pool.
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Hawaiʻi Reels From Back-to-Back Kona Lows as Flood Losses Near $1 Billion and Wahiawā Dam Spurs State Takeover
Two March Kona lows brought Hawaiʻi’s worst flooding in decades, prompting mass rescues, near-failure at Wahiawā Dam and a state takeover.
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Eid flash floods kill six in Oman, exposing risks of a wetter future
A rare March deluge turned Oman’s wadis into torrents, killing at least six and stranding motorists—testing flood defenses and public warnings.
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Flash Floods Kill Dozens in Kenya as Nairobi’s Riverbank Settlements Bear the Brunt
A March downpour turned Nairobi roads into rivers, killing at least 88 nationwide and displacing 34,000, renewing scrutiny of warnings, drainage and riverbank housing.
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Category 5 March Blizzard Shuts Mackinac Bridge, Paralyzes Upper Midwest and Sparks Tornadoes in South
A sprawling March 2026 storm earned NOAA’s rare Category 5 rating after burying the Upper Midwest, closing highways, cutting power and spawning tornadoes.
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Nebraska’s Morrill Fire Scorches 643,000 Acres, Becomes State’s Largest Wildfire on Record
A wind-driven grassfire tore across western Nebraska, burning 643,000 acres, killing one person and straining volunteer crews as recovery begins.
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Storm Therese Floods Canary Islands, Triggers Evacuations and School Closures
A slow-moving Atlantic low drenched the Canaries with flash floods, four-meter seas and late snow on Teide, testing emergency plans after a record storm season.
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Rare March ‘Medicane’ Sweeps the Mediterranean, Killing Teen Rescuer in Tripoli
A late-winter Mediterranean cyclone brought 13-meter waves to Spain, then flooded Tripoli, where a teen rescuer died, raising warning questions.
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Near-Miss at Wahiawā Dam as Kona Low Triggers Hawaiʻi’s Worst Flooding in Decades
A predawn “imminent dam failure” alert sent North Shore residents scrambling as floodwaters surged. Wahiawā Dam held, but decades-old safety gaps remain.
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Nairobi Floods Kill Dozens as Extreme Rains Expose the Cost of Rapid Growth
Deadly March downpours left at least 60 dead and 50,000 homeless in Kenya, underscoring how poor drainage and riverbank building amplify risk.
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Landslides, Floods Kill at Least 80 in Ethiopia’s Gamo Highlands as Belg Rains Intensify
Days of unseasonal rain triggered deadly landslides in southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone, displacing thousands and reviving concerns over preparedness.
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Mid-March storm lashes U.S. with blizzards, ice, tornadoes and record heat
A sprawling March 13–17 storm brought blizzards and ice to the Midwest, tornadoes to the South and East, wildfire conditions on the Plains and unusual heat in the Southwest.