Severe thunderstorms are forecasted for Thursday across northern Illinois, eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and Michigan, with tornado alerts issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center. The tornado threat is expected to begin this afternoon, with wind gusts possibly exceeding 75 mph. Concurrently, a late-season winter storm is impacting the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, anticipated to bring heavy snow, sleet, and icing, resulting in hazardous travel conditions and potential power outages. A second winter storm is expected to follow, with widespread snowfall of over 6 inches predicted. Meanwhile, Denver, Colorado, has set a new high temperature record for March at 87 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), surpassing the previous record of 85 degrees set just a week earlier. Drought conditions are also worsening west of the Rockies, particularly in California, where snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada are only 18% of the average for this time of year, raising concerns about increased wildfire risks as dry weather persists.