Spring is off to a furious start for several parts of the country after a blizzard dumped over a foot of snow and tornadoes razed through neighborhoods in the Midwest, as the same storm system moves east and is set to drench the East Coast.
Tens of millions are waking up to damage in the Midwest Thursday morning, the first official day of spring.
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Blizzard warnings had stretched from Kansas to Minnesota yesterday, creating dangerous white out conditions that led to semis being overturned on roadways.
In Nebraska authorities warned locals to stay off the roads, after snow and blowing wind caused road closures, downed power lines, car accidents, and led one trooper to warn: “Go home and stay home. This storm is the worse one of the season.”
Top snow totals from the blizzard include 14.5 inches reported in Lakota, Iowa, 12 inches in Algona, Iowa, as well as Waco, Nebraska, and 10 inches in Gove City, Kansas.
Meanwhile, possible tornadoes ripped roofs off buildings in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday. In north-central Illinois, there were eight tornado reports with additional straight line wind storm damage reported near Chicago and Indianapolis.
Down in Texas, powerful winds created a windstorm that blocked the sun as nearby southern states grappled with wildfires fueled by strong winds.
Fierce winds in the storms include a report of 91mph winds in Three Rivers, New Mexico, 81 mph in Lipscomb, Texas, 68 mph in Garden City, Kansas, 66 mph in Davenport, Iowa, and 60 mph in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Winds posed a fire risk in some southern states.
In Arkansas, firefighters were battling 38 wildfires in the state. Meanwhile in Florida, crews are continuing to fight a wildfire in southwest Miami-Dade that shut down access in and out of the Florida Keys. This brush fire has grown to 14,000 acres and is just 20% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.
A red flag warning is in place for much of southern Florida from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday due to low humidity levels and gust southwesterly winds which mean fires could develop and spread rapidly.
On Thursday morning, 10 million remained under winter weather advisories and warnings. In the morning, rain and snow will hit the Great Lakes region.
Airports are likely to be impacted from the Great Lakes to Mid-Atlantic due to windy conditions, along with rain and snow, with Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Raleigh most likely to see delays.
In the afternoon into evening, heavy rain will drench the I-94 corridor.
Fire danger continues today with 15 million people under fire alerts this morning across two areas: the western high Plains and eastern Florida.
Cites under a critical fire risk today include Roswell, New Mexico, to Amarillo, Texas, for the western area and Orlando to Miami, Florida, for the eastern area.
Come tomorrow, winter’s last gasp will bring wet snow for northern New England and cold winds for much of the Northeast as the system pushes off the U.S.
Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Kathryn Prociv is a senior meteorologist and producer for NBC News.
