HEADLINERS:
Heat and air quality issues expand to cover parts of B.C., and most all of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Heat shifts toward the Northern Rockies/Northern High Plains.
Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are expected in the Four Corners region and from the western Gulf Coast into parts of the East.
A drawn-out storm pattern will keep much of the country active through the first week of April. A slow-moving front stretching from the Great Lakes into the Plains will separate late-season snow and ice to the north from heavy rain and severe thunderstorms to the south. The setup brings the greatest impacts to parts of the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, and eventually the East Coast, while the West sees mountain snow and then a warming trend heading into the weekend.