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Thanksgiving Weather: Canceled Flights, Snow and a ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Thanksgiving Weather: Canceled Flights, Snow and a ‘Bomb Cyclone’
(about 1 hour later)
Thanksgiving travel is a complicated dance at the best of times, with more than 55 million people expected to hit the roads or take to the skies this holiday week. Heavy snows, reaching 30 inches in some areas, disrupted travel across the center of the nation on Tuesday and threatened to make more trouble on Wednesday as the Thanksgiving holiday approached. Hundreds of flights were canceled, thousands of travelers were stranded at airports, and stretches of major highways were closed because of unsafe conditions and periods of poor-to-nonexistent visibility.
To make matters worse, a powerful storm was streaking across the center of the country on Tuesday, from Colorado to the Great Lakes, threatening to blanket a handful of states with heavy snow, disrupting flights and making driving difficult. Parts of Colorado have already been buried under as much as 30 inches of snow. Interstate 70, a major east-west highway, was closed in both directions near Denver. At the same time, the Northwest was warned of a separate “bomb cyclone” storm blowing in from the Pacific Ocean that could sock that region with powerful winds and heavy precipitation.
At the same time, the Northwest has been put on notice that a fast-approaching “bomb cyclone” is blowing in from the Pacific Ocean and could hit on Tuesday afternoon.
Some coastal areas in Northern California and Oregon should brace for “stronger than hurricane-force winds,” the National Weather Service said, warning that the high winds could bring down power lines, rip branches from trees and threaten to push eighteen-wheelers and RVs off the roads.Some coastal areas in Northern California and Oregon should brace for “stronger than hurricane-force winds,” the National Weather Service said, warning that the high winds could bring down power lines, rip branches from trees and threaten to push eighteen-wheelers and RVs off the roads.
The foul weather was already scrambling travel plans. As much as 11 inches of snow had fallen in Denver County by Tuesday afternoon, with almost 500 flights canceled to and from Denver International Airport. A number of airlines, including American, Southwest and Delta, have issued travel waivers, allowing passengers to change their flights without incurring fees. The foul weather scrambled plans during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, when more than 55 million people were expected to hit the roads or take to the skies.
Rae Conlon, one of the many travelers making their way home for the holiday, said she hoped to get home to Cleveland in time for her family’s annual Thanksgiving bake-off. But with severe winter weather advisories posted across the Midwest, she was in limbo, waiting to hear whether her flight from Denver would even take off. Almost 500 flights were canceled to and from Denver International Airport beginning late on Monday, and hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport overnight, as nearly a foot of snow fell on the Denver area by Tuesday morning. A number of airlines, including American, Southwest and Delta, issued travel waivers, allowing passengers to change their flights without incurring fees.
Ms. Conlon, 23, said she thought about leaving home at the start of the week, but the direct flights then were all fully booked. To change her plans, she would have had to buy a new ticket at five times the original fare — for a 12-hour trip with two layovers. Rae Conlon, one of the many travelers in Denver who were trying to get home for the holiday, said she hoped to get to Cleveland in time for her family’s annual Thanksgiving bake-off. But with severe winter weather advisories posted across the Midwest, she was in limbo on Tuesday, waiting to hear whether her flight would even take off.
Being stuck in Denver now because of the weather would “just be a bummer,” she said, “because I haven’t seen my family in a while.” Ms. Conlon, 23, said she had thought about leaving home at the start of the week, but the direct flights then were all fully booked. To change her plans, she would have had to buy a new ticket at five times the original fare — for a 12-hour trip with two layovers.
Although a late November snowstorm is no surprise in the Rockies, the Plains and the Midwest, the severity of this one is notable. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area could see its biggest November snowfall in nearly a decade, The Associated Press reported. Being stuck in Denver now because of the weather would “just be a bummer,” she said, “because I haven’t seen my family in a while.”
Areas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are expected to receive between six and 12 inches of snow Tuesday evening. Cheyenne, Wyo., has gotten about a foot of snow in 18 hours. Although a late November snowstorm is no surprise in the Rockies, the Plains and the upper Midwest, the severity of this one was notable. It dropped about a foot of snow on Cheyenne, Wyo., beginning Monday afternoon, and was threatening the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area with its biggest November snowfall in nearly a decade. Areas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were expected to receive between six and 12 inches of snow Tuesday evening.
“We’re digging out a bit,” said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Denver. “We’re still seeing snow coming down.” Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Denver, said on Tuesday that the storm, which produced blizzard conditions and near-zero visibility as it blew across Colorado on Tuesday, should not be taken lightly: “We’re sending that message pretty firmly, that travel will be difficult, if not impossible across some routes.”
“We’re sending that message pretty firmly that travel will be difficult, if not impossible across some routes,” he added. Interstate 70, a major east-west highway, was closed in both directions near Denver on Tuesday.
A blizzard warning was posted for the northeastern plains of Colorado, with the Weather Service predicting zero to nearly zero visibility, though the storm was expected to leave the state Tuesday afternoon. The Nebraska Transportation Department notified travelers Tuesday that miles of highways had been blocked because of severe weather conditions. The University of South Dakota, University of Wyoming and several colleges in the Minneapolis area canceled classes for the day to give students an early start on holiday travel. With snow blanketing Colorado, a number of local and state government offices there also shut down.
“Visibility has dropped to half a mile or less with the heavy snowfall and gusty winds,” said Jaclyn Gomez, a National Weather Service meteorologist at the North Platte station. A very strong jet stream was forecast to drive the development of a powerful storm along the Oregon and Northern California coasts Tuesday night and into Wednesday, with winds expected to reach 100 miles an hour in places — well above hurricane force, which starts at 74 m.p.h.
The University of South Dakota, University of Wyoming and several colleges in the Minneapolis area canceled classes on Tuesday to give students an early start on holiday travel. With snow blanketing Colorado, a number of local and state government offices shut down on Tuesday.
A very strong jet stream was forecast to drive the development of a powerful storm along the Oregon and Northern California coasts, with winds expected to reach 100 miles an hour in places — well above hurricane force. The storm was expected to hit in the afternoon.
“The ingredients are coming together to spin up a very large storm offshore,” said Marc Spilde, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Medford, Ore. “We really haven’t seen a storm system like this originating from where it is.”“The ingredients are coming together to spin up a very large storm offshore,” said Marc Spilde, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Medford, Ore. “We really haven’t seen a storm system like this originating from where it is.”
The last time a storm like this hit the region, he said, was Columbus Day in 1962. The last time a comparable storm hit the region, he said, was Columbus Day in 1962.
The storm is expected to meet the definition of a bomb cyclone, in which barometric pressure drops by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. In this case, forecasters expect the pressure at the center of the storm to fall by 50 millibars, to 970 from 1,020. The storm was expected to blanket the Cascades and northern Sierras with heavy snow, making driving conditions dangerous on Interstate 5, the major north-south highway through the region, Mr. Spilde said.
Differences in air pressure are what power a storm’s winds, “so this drop is very significant, very large,” Mr. Spilde said. The storm is expected to fit the definition of a bomb cyclone, in which barometric pressure drops by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. In this case, forecasters expect the pressure at the center of the storm to fall by 50 millibars, to 970 from 1,020. Differences in air pressure are what power a storm’s winds, “so this drop is very significant, very large,” Mr. Spilde said.
Officials have told residents of the region to get their traveling done before 10 a.m. Tuesday or to wait for the storm to pass.
The East Coast can expect some wet and windy weather, with heavy snow in northern New England and northern parts of Maine later in the week. Areas of the East Coast can expect some wet and windy weather, with heavy snow in northern New England and northern parts of Maine later in the week.
Showers on Wednesday night and Thursday are expected to be accompanied by winds reaching between 20 and 30 miles an hour, with gusts of 40 m.p.h. Showers on Wednesday night and Thursday are expected to be accompanied by winds between 20 and 30 miles an hour, with gusts of 40 m.p.h.
While such weather is not uncommon at this time of year, it may rain on some Thanksgiving Day parades. No weather advisories have been issued so far, but operations at some airports may be affected by the rain moving through the region, said Dean Iovino, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, N.J. While such weather is not uncommon at this time of year, it may rain on some Thanksgiving Day parades. And operations at some of the nation’s busiest airports could be affected by the rain moving through the region, said Dean Iovino, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, N.J.