March Madness: Tornado Outbreak Looms Over 175 Million Americans
Central & Eastern United States
The skies are brewing something fierce, and it’s coming fast. Unseasonable warmth is setting the stage for a weekend of chaos as an explosive clash of air masses fuels a storm system capable of spawning violent tornadoes, hail the size of golf balls, and hurricane-force winds. Nearly 175 million Americans are in the crosshairs of this relentless weather system set to rampage across the central and eastern United States from Sunday into Monday.
Tornado sirens are no stranger to these regions, but the past weeks have been particularly brutal. March has already unleashed more tornadoes than this time last year, and the worst may still be ahead. Some of the same areas still recovering from deadly storms just two weeks ago may once again find themselves at the mercy of nature’s fury. And while forecasters say this outbreak might not be as extreme as the last, complacency could be a fatal mistake.
Sunday is the big day, with over 25 million people—including residents of Nashville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis—at a heightened risk of violent storms. By nightfall, the sky will turn into a battleground as supercells erupt across the Midwest, stretching from Illinois down to eastern Texas. The Storm Prediction Center warns of possible EF2 or stronger tornadoes capable of carving out miles of destruction under cover of darkness—a terrifying scenario, given that nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as deadly as their daytime counterparts.
But it won’t end there. Monday will bring another onslaught, this time from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast and all the way up to the Northeast. Major cities from New Orleans to Boston are bracing for impact. While the Northeast might dodge the worst of the tornadoes, it will still face powerful wind gusts that could turn everyday objects into deadly projectiles. Meanwhile, the South remains in the direct line of fire for severe storms, large hail, and yet more tornadoes.
2025 has already been a historic year for twisters, racking up nearly 300 tornado reports—far outpacing last year’s numbers. Only three years in modern history have seen a more active first quarter. And with peak tornado season still weeks away, the storm machine is only getting started. Last year saw nearly 2,000 tornado reports, the second-most on record, proving that Mother Nature is not done making history.
As Monday’s storms retreat into the Atlantic, a brief calm might set in—but don’t be fooled. Forecasters are already tracking another looming system expected to slam into the Plains and Midwest by Wednesday. The storm train isn’t slowing down, and for millions of Americans, the worst may still be ahead.
