Winter Bomb Cyclone
There’s a winter storm watch warning going into effect starting this Thursday evening and going on until late Friday night. This outbreak is going to happen just before Christmas and possibly dangerous weather could last over winter break. There is a storm set to travel across some parts of the Midwest and Northeast this week.
The storm is expected to potentially become a bomb cyclone. Because of the fact that the storm will intensify at an enormous rate. This process of the storm intensifying is known as bombogenesis. Although these storms are typical along the East Coast, they are possible along the Midwest as seen now.
Blizzard Conditions
The weather is expected to be that of blizzard conditions. The wind could reach as high as 55 miles per hour. Additionally, it’s also expected to bring extreme cold, heavy wind chill, and heavy snow to the Midwest. The snow will go all throughout the Midwest, even reaching as far south as Jackson, Mississippi. The cold air even extends to naturally warm states including Texas and Florida.
The storm is expected to hit sometime on Thursday but it won’t become worse until late Thursday night, according to Kevin Birk a National Weather Service meteorologist. It may even carry over to Friday morning.
This storm is going to hit Chicago extremely hard. The National Weather Service states that the intense weather will hit the Midwest and the Great Plains the hardest. They say the cold will be “life-threatening” for these areas.
Warnings
The National Weather Service advised against frostbite in the coldest locations. They state that the cold air mixed with the high-speed winds will make it possible for those outside unprepared for even 10-20 minutes to get frostbite.
Impact
More than 112.7 million people are expected to travel away from home during this holiday season. The weather is jeopardizing all winter travel plans for the upcoming Christmas weekend.
This weather is likely to impact around 2/3 of the flights around the nation, this Thursday and Friday, according to AccuWeather. There are many major cities that are directly in the path of the storm. This includes Chicago, New York City, and Detroit. All of these cities will face disturbances.
In Response
Some major airlines are offering out travel waivers, before the winter storm, hits for certain flights and dates. This includes Southwest, American Airlines, Delta, Jet Blue, and Alaskan Airlines. United Airlines is offering inclement weather waivers for airline travelers within the Midwest. Additionally, they will also be offering them for those in Texas and the East Coast. The winter weather on Thursday and Friday might make it so that some airlines have to shut down completely at a certain point.
This isn’t only affecting the airlines, this also impacts the roadways within Chicago. Experts predict that some roadways may not even be drivable due to the thick snow and the intense wind speeds.
This extreme weather drop is going to make it one of the coldest Christmas’ in nearly 40 years for some places. Impacting millions around the country. Forecasters predict that Christmas Day will only be 12 degrees within Chicago. This will make it the coldest Christmas day all the way since 1996.
Written by Alyssa Calderon
Sources
AccuWeather: Chicago could get a pre-Christmas blizzard as major snowstorm unfolds across Midwest
WGN-TV: Winter Storm Watch issued for entire Chicago metro area from 6 PM CST Thursday until 6 AM Saturday.
Block Club Chicago: A Blizzard Could Hit Chicago This Week — And It Could Feel Like 30 Degrees Below Zero On Christmas
New York Post: Bomb cyclone expected to hit US, prompting airlines to issue travel waivers
AXIOS: “Life-threatening” cold, bomb cyclone blizzard to sweep U.S. this week
Featured Image Courtesy of Paul Kehrer Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Paul Kehrer Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
