A late-season storm system will blanket the Great Lakes on Friday, severe thunderstorms are expected from the Gulf Coast up to the Tennessee Valley, and the Pacific Northwest could see some snow.
In other words, it’s typical March madness when it comes to weather.
“It’s a very stormy month,” said Bob Larson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “It’s prime battleground, meteorologically.”
Here’s what you need to know about the weather in the U.S. on Friday:
Great Lakes/Northeast
A snowstorm is forecast to hit the Great Lakes on Friday, dumping between 5 and 10 inches in Traverse City, Michigan, up to 6 inches in Madison, Wisconsin and between 1 and 3 inches in Milwaukee.
“It looks like a significant storm,” Larson said.
The storm should move into the Northeast later Friday night and into Saturday, bringing snow to upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Between 6 and 12 inches of snow is expected in parts of Maine.
US winter storm map
The Midwest
Much of the Midwest can expect heavy rain and strong winds, with some places expected to get more than 4 inches of the wet stuff.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for much of Missouri and Illinois on Friday, saying that rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches are expected, with localized amounts up to 5 inches primarily over southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois.
The region can expect to contend with high winds moving in on Saturday, with widespread winds of 40 to 50 mph from Michigan through Indiana and Ohio and into New York and western Pennsylvania.
The South
Severe thunderstorms are expected across a large swath of the South from the Gulf Coast region up to the Tennessee Valley, with the epicenter over Jackson, Mississippi almost up to Memphis.
Larson said residents can expect downpours, damaging winds in excess of 60 mph and the potential for large hail and tornados.
The storm system will head to the Carolinas by Saturday but is expected to be weakened.
The National Weather Service said “a significant severe weather event” is likely late Friday afternoon into Friday night, saying the primary threat will come from potentially strong tornadoes.
The Pacific Northwest
Winter storm warnings and advisories are in place in the Pacific Northwest, where a storm coming off the Pacific will make for a mucky Friday.
In Washington, significant snow is expected, with accumulations ranging from 8 to 18 inches in the Cascades above 2,500 feet.
Snow accumulations between 5 and 8 inches are likelier below 2,000 feet along Washington’s Coast Range.
The National Weather Service says that accumulating snow is possible at any elevation across the greater Portland metro area from early Friday morning and Friday night into Saturday morning.
“However, the chances of receiving 1 inch or more of snow remain around 20 to 30 percent for any given location in the interior lowlands during these times,” the weather service said.
“It’s certainly going to be a period of nasty weather,” Larson said.