A massive winter storm, ‘bomb cyclone’, will bring blizzard conditions, ‘life-threatening’ cold, extreme wind chills and travel headaches for large parts of the Lower 48 states
A powerful winter storm is moving across the country this week, bringing a mix of strong wind, rain and snow, including blizzard conditions, that could make travel dangerous ahead of the holiday weekend.
The developing cyclone will deliver heavy snow and blizzard conditions and downpours between Wednesday and Friday night, all coming at a time of year when more than 110 million Americans are expected to take to the roads and air. The combination of snow and wind will bring visibility down to near zero at times.
Travel could “become extremely dangerous and life-threatening, particularly in light of the bitterly cold temperatures during the height of the storm,” wrote the National Weather Service office serving Chicago.
Nearly 50 million Americans are under winter storm warnings, watches and advisories. The anticipated storm system will explosively strengthen, at a rate sufficient to qualify it as a “bomb cyclone” — which is the most intense breed of mid-latitude storms.
“In summary, this is still looking to develop as a high end, life-threatening event,” wrote the Weather Service office serving Minneapolis.
The Weather Service office serving Buffalo is calling it a “once in a generation” storm system.
The storm will drag a historically cold December air mass — sourced from Siberia — over much of the Lower 48 between late Wednesday and late Friday, sending temperatures plunging some 30 to 50 degrees below average. Readings in the teens could slosh all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, with a dangerous flash freeze turning wet roadways into sheets of ice in some areas.
More than 50 million people are also under wind chill alerts, from the Rockies to the nation’s midsection. Projected wind chills on Friday morning include: 2 degrees in Houston; minus-7 in Dallas; minus-14 in Memphis; minus-32 in Kansas City, Mo.; and minus-45 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
“Dangerously cold wind chills, as low as 50 below zero” are expected in the Dakotas, wrote the National Weather Service. “Stranded motorists will face the threat of frostbite, hypothermia and even life-threatening exposure.”
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