Urgent Weather Message Sparks Warning for Drivers in 36 States

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued urgent weather messages for motorists in 36 states and Washington, D.C., after a series of winter storms sent winds whipping across the nation.

Meteorologists expect the U.S. to be hit by several storms this week, including one over the Midwest, several over the Northwest and another that was battering the East Coast with heavy rains and flooding on Tuesday. High winds accompanied the storms in over half of the country, with the NWS advising drivers to exercise caution on Tuesday.

Impacted areas are Louisiana, Oregon, Washington, California, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Alabama, South Carolina, Connecticut, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire, Montana, Nevada, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In some states, wind gusts are expected to surpass 70 miles per hour, prompting a warning that urged people to avoid windows and remain indoors.

"People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches," a message from the Morristown, Tennessee, NWS office said. "If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive."

NWS meteorologist Derek Eisentrout at the Morristown office told Newsweek that wind gusts reached 94 miles per hour on Monday night in the Great Smoky Mountains.

"Those were caused by a very strong low-pressure system coming out of the Gulf and spreading precipitation and gusty winds across our areas," Eisentrout said.

Winds in the area will diminish this afternoon before a second low-pressure system will cause them to spike again and remain high through tomorrow. The storm will move out of the area and affect the Northeast and Great Lakes region on Tuesday night.

Winds are high elsewhere as well, blowing at 40 to 50 miles per hour at the Mojave Desert Slopes in California, with gusts up to 70 mph.

"Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Use extra caution," the NWS office in Hanford, California, said.

The NWS office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, warned residents to be on the lookout for falling debris or tree limbs if they have to be outside during the storm, as winds were blowing from 25 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour.

In most areas, winds ranged from 15 to 30 miles per hour. Some of the urgent weather messages warned that high winds could cause power outages.

A power outage map showed that many states were experiencing moderate to high power outages early Tuesday morning, including Washington, Oregon, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The high winds brought a threat of tornadoes to the South, where a tornado watch is in place for Florida, Alabama and Georgia. A tornado warning is in place for the Florida Panhandle, as well as a small southeast portion of Alabama and northwest Georgia.

Most of the wind warnings were expected to end by Tuesday evening, although some will last until early Wednesday morning.