This year's severe weather season has been quiet, but it’s about to make some noise.
For the first time all year, part of the country is under an enhanced risk for severe weather, the third highest risk category out of five.
The biggest threat is likely to be large hail, with damaging winds in a close second. An isolated tornado or two can't be ruled out either.
March is typically the beginning of severe weather season, but you wouldn't be able to tell by this year.
The Storm Prediction Center — the organization responsible for issuing severe thunderstorm and tornado watches — hasn't issued a single watch the entire month of March. Since the beginning of the year, it has only issued four tornado watches.
By the middle of March, the SPC has usually issued 52 tornado watches, but this year, the US has seen a fraction of severe weather they usually see at this point.
The tornado count stands at 28, but the average is 192.
The number of hail reports for the year is at 11, but we should be closer to 444!
And the total severe wind incidents remain a mere 127, distant from the average of 959.
These numbers may seem far apart, but it'll only take one or two big outbreaks can make up the difference in a matter of hours.
