The forecast comes days after an expansive storm similarly trekked across the U.S. last week, unloading snow in the northern Plains and bringing tornadoes and wildfires to the South. At least five storm-related deaths in Nebraska and Mississippi were tied to that storm.

A potent storm system is expected to pour heavy rain on western states later this week before rumbling into the central United States

An unusually powerful March storm is trekking across the country with a wide range of hazards from strong winds that could set off blizzard conditions and dust storms to severe thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes.