Story perspectives

Severe Winds Cause Outages, Fuel Fires; Snowstorm Looms

3/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

Severe winds caused widespread power outages affecting 600,000 customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan on Saturday.
Wind gusts hit 85 mph in Cleveland and 66 mph in Pittsburgh, fueling Nebraska wildfires that killed one person and destroyed 12 structures.
Morrill County fire has burned about 735 square miles.
A March megastorm is expected to bring snow and cold to the Midwest and Northeast, with Chicago in single-digit temperatures by Tuesday.

History

Historical Context

The Great Blizzard of 1888, occurring from March 11-14, was one of the deadliest blizzards in U.S. history, claiming over 400 lives and paralyzing cities from Chesapeake Bay to Maine. The storm's extreme winds and heavy snowfall led to significant infrastructure changes, including the underground placement of telegraph and transportation lines, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of urban areas to severe weather events.

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Story summary

Severe winds caused widespread power outages affecting 600,000 customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan on Saturday.
Wind gusts hit 85 mph in Cleveland and 66 mph in Pittsburgh, fueling Nebraska wildfires that killed one person and destroyed 12 structures.
Morrill County fire has burned about 735 square miles.
A March megastorm is expected to bring snow and cold to the Midwest and Northeast, with Chicago in single-digit temperatures by Tuesday.

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