The US Weather Service (NWS) is warning of extremely low temperatures and extreme weather
Powerful winter storm is expected to affect at the end of the week a large part of USAthreatening to cause chaos as tens of millions of Americans plan to travel for the holidays.
The storm was expected to begin forming overnight on Wednesday, strengthen into tomorrow, Friday, and last into the Christmas weekend, bringing with it extremely cold temperatures, snowfall and strong winds to much of the north and east of the country. country, according to US Weather Service (NWS).
🥶 La plongée de l’air glacial est particulier brutale aux #USA. When the cold front arrives, the temperature drops from +6 to -16°C in just 30 minutes #Cheyenne dans le #Wyoming !! #Neige et #blizzard are observed. ❄💨 (carte @meteociel) pic.twitter.com/sRUzkgSHcU
— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) December 22, 2022
This is a “once-in-a-generation storm,” the local NWS agency in Buffalo, New York, warned on Twitter.
The Midwest and Great Lakes will be especially hard hit late in the week with a blizzard.
The mercury is expected to drop very sharply in just a few hours, with temperatures reaching as low as -55 degrees Celsius across the Great Plains.
An Arctic front will continue widespread, dangerous cold, with areas of blinding snow squalls and flash freezing over the central then eastern US through the rest of this week. A strong winter storm will form on this front with blizzard conditions. https://t.co/VyWINDBEpn pic.twitter.com/k2rChNqv1r
— National Weather Service (@NWS) December 22, 2022
“This cold can cause frostbite to exposed skin within minutes, as well as hypothermia and death if exposure is prolonged,” the NWS warned.
In the city of Denver, where temperatures are expected to drop to their lowest levels in three decades, authorities have turned a huge indoor arena, the Denver Coliseum, into a shelter for those in need of shelter and warmth.
Wind speeds can reach up to 80 kilometers per hour, possibly causing downed trees and power outages.
Private weather website AccuWeather warned of the possibility of a “bomb cyclone”, which is formed when polar air meets a warmer air mass, causing a very rapid drop in atmospheric pressure.
100 million travelers
Those conditions will be “very hazardous” for travel, whether by road or air, the NWS warned.
Millions of Americans are expected at the nation’s airports starting today, as this year’s holiday season is expected to be “busier” than 2021, with a return to “pre-pandemic levels,” according to the agency charged with transportation safety. TSA.
At least 47,500 flights were expected in the US for today alone, according to the FAA.
United Airlines has “encouraged” its customers to check their flight status and even change it “free of charge” if possible.
The storm will “clearly cause disruption,” mostly delays, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a televised interview.
Heavy traffic is also expected on the road network, as an estimated 102 million Americans will drive to their holiday destination, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
A total of about 112 million people are expected to drive at least 80 kilometers between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, according to AAA, the third-highest number since it began counting in 2000.
Life-threatening situation on I-25 between Wellington Colorado and Cheyenne Wyoming as a blinding whiteout grinds the interstate to a standstill in -30 to -40 windchills. If you are stuck in this absolutely do not turn your car off! Stay warm! @NWSCheyenne @NWSBoulder #cowx #wywx pic.twitter.com/SW98Vha8nB
— Michael Charnick (@charnick_wx) December 22, 2022
Cold alerts
Cold warnings and alerts have been issued for parts of at least 26 states, according to the NWS, and stretch from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast in Texas.
The snow is not the biggest concern with this storm, but rather the cold and winds. The heaviest snowfall was expected in the Great Lakes region between last night and tomorrow, Friday, with just over a foot of snow.
In February 2021, a freeze mainly in Texas caused a spike in energy consumption, which was followed by massive power outages for several days.
But the state’s weather service is now reassuring, with temperatures expected to be less cold and expected to last less than then.
Climate Alert ❄️ A great winter storm and a cold gust will affect almost all the states of the EU 🇺🇸, also Canada 🇨🇦 and Mexico 🇲🇽 (North)#Snow #Storm #USA #Canada #Mexico pic.twitter.com/kN43W4ANaO
— Notix Mundial DST © (@NotixMundial24) December 22, 2022
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