Spring is supposed to be the season when the weather turns milder—when the frigid temperatures of winter ease and the heat of summer hasn’t yet arrived. Instead, we sometimes get the worst of everything. The past week or two has been a good example of the tumultuous nature of spring weather.
Across the Midwest and parts of the Eastern United States last week, a powerful storm system brought a dangerous mix of tornadoes, giant hail, and destructive winds. Several tornadoes touched down from Texas to Michigan, tearing through neighborhoods and flattening homes. Communities in Illinois and Indiana saw particularly heavy damage, with downed trees and power lines and many buildings destroyed.
One storm near Kankakee, Illinois even produced hailstones up to six inches across—large enough to shatter windows, damage roofs, and leave craters in the ground. Storms like that don’t just pass through quietly. They leave behind broken branches, shattered glass, and neighborhoods that take weeks or months to recover.
High winds from the system caused widespread power outages as well. At one point hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic were without electricity. Utility crews worked long hours for days afterward, clearing fallen trees and restringing power lines while communities began the slow process of cleaning up storm debris.
While those storms were dominating the news in the middle of the country, western Washington was dealing with its own version of springtime turbulence. A strong Pacific storm pushed into the region late last week, bringing high winds and heavy rain to the coastal areas and blizzards to the Cascades. For many people around Puget Sound, the most noticeable feature was the wind. Gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour swept across parts of the region, bringing down trees and power lines.
In the mountains, the Cascade mountain passes picked up 5 to 6 feet—yes, that’s FEET—of fresh snowfall. The snow was a definite boost to skiing conditions, which have been disappointing for much of the season, but the storm also brought problems. High winds forced ski lifts to shut down at several resorts, and power outages affected operations at others. Some of the Cascade passes were temporarily closed as heavy snow, blowing winds, and stalled vehicles made travel hazardous.
The Olympic Mountains faced many of the same challenges, with strong winds, closed roads, and lots of snow.
Even in the Seattle area the weather this past weekend was unpredictable. Last Saturday we had snow, sleet, rain, and sun—all within the span of a few hours. I awoke to see the sun shining on the Olympics in their fresh snow pack from my apartment window. But later, just a few miles away, I saw snowmen in a neighborhood that had received about 3 inches of snow the day before.
And my friends in the Kansas City area report similarly unsettled weather. March has brought them tornadoes, snow, and bitterly cold temperatures in the last couple of weeks. But intermingled have been sunny days, and forecasts there call for temperatures climbing to 80 degrees later this week.
So this month has been a reminder that spring is not a quiet season. Yes, we get early flowers and longer days. But we also get clashing air masses, shifting winds, and storms that seem determined to make one last statement before winter finally gives way.
What has your weather been like so far in March?
