Where The Severe Threat Ramps Up This Weekend

Fitting for an active March, the final day of the month brought severe weather. This trend continued into the first week of April, leading to rounds of severe storms every day from March 31 to April 4.

(MORE: March Had Everything But The Kitchen Sink)

Severe Recap

Tuesday, March 31, severe thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 75 mph rumbled across the southern Great Lakes from northern Indiana to western Pennsylvania and New York. Trees were downed in several areas, some on homes.

Three weak tornadoes were confirmed, including EF1s in Cattaraugus County, New York and near Hicksville, Ohio. A brief EF0 was also confirmed near Apple Creek, Ohio.

In total, there were over 90 wind reports and over 40 large hail reports March 31.

Flash flooding was reported in parts of the Cleveland metro area, and basements were flooded in Austintown and Lowellville, Ohio.

To start the month of April, severe thunderstorms were scattered from Delaware to eastern New Mexico. Hail up to the size of tennis balls was seen in Blaine County, Oklahoma. Roof damage was reported in Snyder, Texas, and wind gusts from 70 to 75 mph were clocked in a few areas between Lubbock and Wichita Falls. Flash flooding was reported overnight in parts of western Missouri south of Kansas City. There were around 60 damaging wind reports and over 20 large hail reports.

It was more of the same April 2 as severe thunderstorms erupted across parts of the Midwest.

One long-lived supercell thunderstorm apparently spawned several tornadoes across parts of eastern Iowa, south and east of Iowa City, to near the Mississippi River north of Davenport.

Significant damage, also from an apparent tornado, was reported near Dixon, Illinois. Trees were downed on homes in Parke County, Indiana, and hail larger than baseballs was reported near Martinsburg, Iowa, and Thomson, Illinois.

On April 3, there were two tornado reports, one in Tazewell County, Illinois, and one in Seminole County, Oklahoma. Of the over 20 hail reports, the most impressive was baseball-sized hail - 2.75 inches in diameter- reported in Kiowa County, Oklahoma. Surveyors are being sent out and more information will be revealed throughout the weekend.

Nearly 20 high wind reports have come in, primarily across Texas and Oklahoma. Gusts between 60-70 mph were more widespread, with Hardeman County, Texas, seeing a gust of 86 mph.

In total, there have been nearly 30 flood reports from around 6 pm on April 3 to about noon on April 4, including some water rescues from cars stuck in flooded streets in Texas and Ohio.

April 4 saw a tornado strick Lindale, Texas, bringing damage to three homes.

Storm Fatigue

It was yet another active March for severe weather in the U.S., including parts of the Midwest.

On March 6, four tornadoes struck southern Michigan, including an EF3 in Branch County, killing three, an EF2 in Three Rivers and an EF1 tornado that claimed a life in Cass County.

Four days later, a lone supercell spawned 12 tornadoes across northeast Illinois into northwest Indiana, including the EF3 Kankakee, Illinois, tornado, which killed three.

Then on March 15, another 17 tornadoes were confirmed across central and southern Illinois.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has received 196 reports of and confirmed tornadoes in March, almost double the 20-year average of March twisters (104).

Be Prepared

There are steps you can take to stay safe in severe weather:

1. Know where to seek safe shelter when severe weather strikes before the storm. If you live in a manufactured home, the safest place is probably either a designated community shelter or the closest building, such as a church, industrial building or any building with reinforced concrete.

2. Have multiple ways of receiving official National Weather Service watches and warnings, including from your phone and NOAA weather radio. Make sure your devices are fully charged in case you lose power and alerts are turned on to wake you up at night.

3. Seek safe shelter immediately when you receive a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning for your area.

4. Never drive into floodwaters. You could be carried away and the road underneath could have been washed away.

(MORE: 14 Severe Weather Tips That Can Save Your Life)

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.