March Is Normally A Stormy Month. True To Form This Year

Strong rotation in a thunderstorm in Hawaii prompted a rare tornado
warning Tuesday. So far it looks like the twister did not touch down

Storms seem to be hitting different parts of the nation with some frequency this month, but that is what one should expect in March.

It's a transition month between winter and spring.  That means places that get cold winter storms  will still get them. But spring-type storm events, like severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods, are also on the increase.

Here's just a few examples and updates to prove the point.

In Hawaii, a winter season tempest known as a Kona Storm struck the state Tuesday, causing flash floods and intense thunderstorms. Two rare tornado warnings were issued, one for parts of Kauai island and the other for Niihau, but none are known to have touched down, says weather expert Dennis Mersereau, writing in Forbes. 

Elsewhere, flash flooding was ongoing in parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas this morning. The flooding is the start of an expected busy weather day in Texas.

Severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes are in the forecast for most of Texas and Oklahoma, especially this afternoon and evening.  Areas of flooding are also a good bet in those same locations.  Parts of the Ohio Valley are also under a flood threat today.

More severe thunderstorms and maybe a few tornadoes are expected in much of the Mississippi Valley Thursday.

A blizzard still looms in parts of the northern Plains Thursday and Friday as well.

Here in Vermont, we expect a mix of winter and springlike weather over the next few days as well.

Forecasters have backed off a little on the snow early Thursday. It looks like light accumulations will be limited to areas south and west of Interstate 89 and even there, there won't be more than an inch or two, mostly in higher elevations.

That warm front I talked about yesterday still looks to come through late Thursday night with a good splash rain with it, especially between midnight and 7 a.m. Friday.

Friday still looks springlike in Vermont, but not the pleasant, sunshiny type of springlike day we all like. Temperatures will almost certainly soar into the 60s to maybe around 70, but it will be windy.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center put parts of the Green Mountain State into its first risk of severe thunderstorms of the season.  It's part of low but not zero risk of severe storms Friday in most of New York and Pennsylvania.

True, the risk is only marginal at this point with chances of isolated damaging winds with storms in southern Vermont Friday afternoon and evening.

Gusty showers and perhaps a thunderstorm could also occur through the rest of Vermont as well.

Behind the cold front, temperatures will crash Friday night and definitely be below freezing by Saturday morning. The front will probably bring a dusting of snow to many areas.

It'll be a chilly, kind of wintry weekend. Highs will only reach to around 32 degrees Saturday and in the 30s Sunday. By Monday, it will turn warmer again, but reach only typical levels for this time of year - somewhere in the 40s.