March 17, 2026, 9:25 a.m. ET
A deep freeze across the South, a spreading heat wave in the West and a trail of high winds and downpours leaving the East are in the forecast on March 17 after a weekend of bizarre weather across the country.
On the heels of a major storm that delivered downpours, high winds and thunderstorms along the U.S. East Coast, the National Weather Service is predicting a “quieter” period of weather for many. Still, an early heat wave is making it feel like summer in Southern California, and temperatures in the triple digits will spread across the Desert Southwest by the middle of the week.
“Temperatures this hot so early in the year could shatter high temperatures records by as much as 10 degrees,” the weather service said.
As the heat dome spreads, over 70 million people could be impacted and put a strain on water resources, reported AccuWeather.
The extreme opposite is happening in the Deep South the morning of March 17: More than 53 million Americans awoke to a freeze warning blanketing states in a stretch from east Texas to South Carolina.
Tornado touches down in Charlotte after warnings across the East
The severe weather outbreak on March 16 knocked power out for hundreds of thousands of people and prompted flight cancellations, school closures and early closures of government offices. Tornado watches blanketed much of the East Coast.
A tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Charlotte, North Carolina, the morning of March 16, according to the weather service office for Greenville and Spartanburg. The EF-0 tornado with estimated peak wind speeds of 85 mph touched down at around 9:39 a.m. and stayed on the ground for almost a mile and a half, the office said. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The weather service said the morning of March 17 that a “deep cyclone” and a cold front were moving through New England before exiting up into Canada later in the day. In the meantime, gusty winds, downpours and falling temperatures are continuing.
Temperature extremes across the US: Record lows and highs possible
Low temperatures across the South the morning of March 17 were expected to be in the 20s and 30s, with lower temperatures at higher elevations and wind chills in the teens. Record lows are also possible overnight into the morning of March 18 across the region, the weather service said.
Across the Desert Southwest, widespread high temperatures in the 90s are expected, with several major cities expected to reach triple digits this week, AccuWeather reported. Extreme heat warnings were in place on March 17 across Southern California, southern Nevada and much of Arizona.
Phoenix could see highs of around 106 degrees from March 19 through the weekend, which would be 20 to 30 degrees above the historical average for this time of year, the outlet reported. Las Vegas could hit 100 degrees this week, weeks ahead of the usual timing.
Los Angeles could challenge its all-time March record of 99 degrees this week. Even San Francisco could reach the low 80s, breaking decades-old records.
“Record highs are likely or possible from California to the Rockies, including Salt Lake City, Albuquerque and Denver,” AccuWeather reported.
Kona storm devastates Hawaii with deluge of rain, winds
A dayslong “kona storm” caused heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds across much of the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend, with the southern parts of Maui and Big Island hit the hardest, the weather service in Honolulu said.
Homes and businesses were flooded and roads were closed. In Kihei, Maui County, a video showed homes partially collapsed from flooding. Downed trees and power lines caused power outages and damage to roofs, the weather service there said.
Between March 11 and March 15, feet of rain fell, with the highest recorded totals around 4 feet on the Island of Maui in the Kula area. Summits across the islands saw the highest rainfall totals.
These were the highest recorded wind gusts:
- Kaiaulu Puu Waawaa, Big Island: 135 mph
- Mauna Kea Summit, Big Island: 110 mph
- Kula, Maui: 108 mph
- Waimea, Kauai: 96 mph
- Makapuu Beach, Oahu: 81 mph
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