CHICAGO (AP) — Successive punches of snow and wind were set to impact the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation and made roads impassable in the Upper Midwest.
Forecasters said mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., were at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes. The cold front was expected to move off the East Coast by Tuesday, bringing sharply colder weather in its wake, forecasters said.
The late winter blast comes as Hawaii continued to be affected by a separate storm system that caused severe flooding over the weekend.
The National Weather Service that warned a line of severe storms with damaging winds would cross much of the Eastern U.S. After firing up Sunday, the storms were crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.
The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians, then move toward the East Coast, where “severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes” were expected, the service said.
A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and the nation’s capital.
Officials said schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, would be closed Monday. Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts of 74 mph (119 kph).
Beyond the threat to lives and property, “whether it’s wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, you’re looking at several major airports being impacted,“ said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.
An area from central Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was likely to see over 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow, with higher isolated totals on the peninsula, Roys said. Lower snow accumulations in places such as Chicago and Milwaukee will likely create trouble for commuters on Monday, he added.
Jim Allen, 45, who lives on the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities and he was ready to clear snow several times Sunday with a shovel and snowblower.
“We’re basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to,” Allen said.
More than 600 flights were canceled at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions. Dozens more through Detroit were scrapped. O'Hare and Midway international airports in Chicago reported more than 850 cancellations.
More than 210,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. Some originated on Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph (137 km). Widespread outages also were reported in parts of Pennsylvania and Arkansas.
In Nebraska, about 30 National Guard members were deployed to combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland, state officials said. One fire-related fatality was reported.
Rain continued falling on Sunday in Hawaii, where acres of farmland and homes have been flooded, roads have been closed and shelters opened. Some areas of Maui received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post.
Maui County later on Sunday downgraded an evacuation notice and said crews were pumping water from retentions basins to keep them at safe levels.
Resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal road’s collapse Saturday, said other parts of the road were flooded out by mud and sediment.
“In the 20 years I’ve been here I’ve never seen this much rain,” he said.
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Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, also contributed to this report.
Fans walk through snowy streets before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
People drive on a snow-covered freeway during a snow storm Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conan O’Brien played on his famous red hair and pale skin for an Aunt Gladys opening at the Oscars and took shots at artificial intelligence, the Oscars' move to YouTube and Timothée Chalamet’s takes on the fine arts.
“I am Conan O’Brien and I am honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” O’Brien said after taking the stage for the ABC telecast at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”
O'Brien, who also hosted the event last year, warned the audience that security would be high.
“I hear there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” the host said, getting a big laugh as the camera cut to a giggling Chalamet. The best actor nominee's disparaging comments on the art forms' relevance during the Oscars run-up became fodder for cultural discourse.
O'Brien also took aim at Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, who is annually a major figure in Hollywood but this year got special attention. His company nearly bought Warner Bros., the studio behind the night's biggest nominees, before backing out.
“It’s his first time in a theater!” O'Brien said, then took on a mock Sarandos voice. “What are they all doing enjoying themselves?!” he shouted. “They should be home where I can monetize it!”
In another operatic moment, singer Josh Groban, in knightly garb, serenaded O’Brien in a fantasy sequence where the host imagined winning an Oscar for his outstanding monologue.
“He did this himself, and he’s grateful to none,” Groban sang to music from “Zadok the Priest,” a 1727 coronation anthem by George Frideric Handel.
The ceremony's prerecorded opening nod to Amy Madigan's character in “Weapons” was maybe to be expected given how often O'Brien mocks his own hair and pallor, but still had surprising moments.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” O'Brien could be heard saying to a stylist before the reveal.
The segment had O'Brien sporting Madigan’s caked-on Aunt Gladys makeup and bright red wig from the film. It also showed him being chased by angry kids as she was in the role from the prestige horror film that won her best supporting actress a few minutes later.
Gladys-Conan was then folded into clips from other major nominees. He was animated into “KPop Demon Hunters,” played table tennis against Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” and sprinted across the Shakespearean stage in “Hamnet.”
After getting raves in his 2025 hosting debut, O'Brien — the 62-year-old onetime writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” former longtime talk show host, and professional podcaster — was rehired almost immediately.
He may have given the Academy Awards some stability in the hosting spot after much uncertainty about the often-thankless role, including the three-year stretch from 2019-2021 with no host. ABC convinced Jimmy Kimmel, the face of the network, to host four times, something that's unlikely to happen again with the Oscars moving to YouTube in 2029.
“Some people are worried this is going to change how the Oscars are viewed,” O'Brien said Sunday, “but I’ve been assured …” he was then cut off by a wildly intrusive, YouTube-style ad featuring actor Jane Lynch pitching a tactical flashlight.
The bit got a big laugh from the room, as did most of his monologue.
Oscar producers have shown what appears to be a genuine affection for O'Brien, who is easily the favorite to return as host, and has suggested his willingness to keep the job indefinitely.
That succession was addressed when the live show ended. A filmed scene borrowed the ending of “One Battle After Another,” which won best picture and five other Oscars (spoilers ahead). O'Brien's friend and former “SNL” cowriter Mike Downey reprised his role from “One Battle,” with O'Brien in the place of best supporting actor winner Sean Penn.
“We’ve decided to make you Oscars host for life,” Downey tells O'Brien in the halls of an office complex.
“I don’t know what to say. I’d like that very much,” a moved O'Brien replies. He's then shown being gassed a la Penn and carted, dead, from the premises.
His name plaque is replaced by one that reads “Mr. Beast.”
Host Conan O'Brien, left, and Sterling K. Brown perform during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien performs during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien performs during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
