FOX Weather has you covered with the breaking forecasts and weather news headlines for your Weather in America on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Get the latest from FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Thursday, March 20, 2025, and the first day of spring. Start your day with everything you need to know about today’s weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
Powerful severe weather blasts Midwest while weekend storms take aim at South
A powerful storm system blasted portions of the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Wednesday, triggering at least a dozen Tornado Warnings as communities south of Chicago were slammed by severe weather.
Several tornado reports were recorded across parts of central Illinois.
Gary, Indiana, saw most of the significant damage as winds estimated to be at least 75 mph rolled through just after the evening commute, causing trees to fall that damaged homes.
Meanwhile, severe storms are set to return to parts of the tornado-ravaged South this weekend, a concerning prospect for those still reeling from last weekend’s outbreak that claimed 43 lives across the country.
FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic drove through a tornado warned storm in Minier, Illinois.
Plains, Upper Midwest dig out after blizzard
Blizzard conditions broke out Wednesday across Kansas and Nebraska, shutting down interstates in at least three states across the central Plains. This was the third blizzard that Omaha, Nebraska, has experienced this calendar year.
Wind gusts of up to 80 mph knocked out power across Kansas and Nebraska. Almost 50,000 customers remained without power in Nebraska as of Thursday morning.
The snow also spread into Wisconsin and Michigan, where almost a foot of new snowfall was reported in some areas.
Parts of Iowa saw some of the heaviest snow. Lakota received over 14 inches by Wednesday evening.
A vehicle drives through whiteout conditions in Eastern Nebraska Wednesday.
(@NebraskaDOT/X / FOX Weather)
Thursday marks first day of astronomical spring
Spring officially began at 5:01 a.m. ET Thursday morning in the Northern Hemisphere. March 20 is the vernal equinox, when the entire world experiences an equal amount of daylight and darkness.
For ease of recordkeeping, meteorologists and climatologists consider March 1 the first day of spring. Astronomically speaking, however, the Earth’s equator is aligned directly with the Sun on the vernal equinox.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center’s temperature outlook for meteorological spring, which spans March, April and May, forecasts spring heat to the south and chilly conditions to the north.
A look at the temperature and precipitation outlooks for meteorological spring this year.
(FOX Weather)
Watch: Fireball spotted streaking across night sky in 13 states
People across 13 states got a glimpse at a fireball lighting up the sky on Monday night.
The American Meteor Society received 112 reports from around the eastern U.S. just before midnight on Tuesday.
Videos from Ohio and Kentucky show the bright flash of light, clear as day, as it comes in and out of view.
Videos show fireballs streaking across the sky in Ohio and Kentucky on Monday night. Fireballs were reported in 13 states from Missouri to Pennsylvania.
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