This week, several parts of the US are expected to experience two consecutive powerful winter storms that will bring heavy snow, rain, and strong winds.
In the northeast of the country, early spring temperatures reached record highs, which is in part to blame for the severe weather warnings.
There is already a winter storm warning in effect for parts of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southern Colorado.
Between Monday and Thursday, the storms are expected to move from west to east.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the first storm, which will bring snow and strong winds exceeding 60 mph (96 km/h), started rapidly brewing over the central US on Monday.
Between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, parts of the northern Plains and upper Great Lakes will experience blizzard-like conditions as the storm moves east.
In warmer areas, especially near the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley, it may also bring thunderstorms. .
Tuesday is also expected to bring rain to portions of the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the Great Lakes. By Thursday, the storm is predicted to have moved into eastern Canada.
Forecasters predict that between Wednesday and Thursday, the second storm will likely be much stronger and more disruptive over a wide area of the Central states.
According to the NWS, it will also bring strong to severe thunderstorms across the middle of the South, from Mobile, Alabama, to Cleveland, Ohio.
The thunderstorms are partly a result of the region's higher-than-average temperatures for mid-February, according to Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center, who spoke to the BBC.
One thing that has stood out, at least for the Northeast and the East Coast, is how warm this winter has been overall, according to Mr. Taylor.
He added that this week is expected to see record-breaking high temperatures, with the mercury rising just above 60F (15C) in places like Louisville, Kentucky, Portland, Maine, Boston, and Hartford, Connecticut.
According to Mr. Taylor, the severe storm may result in downed trees and power lines, obstructing some routes of travel. In order to be prepared, he advised people to monitor their local forecasts.
