Everything you need to know about the 'Bomb Cyclone' predicted to batter the Midwest from December 22
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A "bomb cyclone" is reportedly anticipated to reach the Midwest later this week, with the potential to disrupt Christmas travel plans of many. Some airlines have reportedly issued travel waivers anticipating that the storm was likely to wreak havoc on major cities including Chicago, a vital air travel hub.
As per CNN, United Airlines, headquartered in the windy city, provides waivers in the case of adverse weather conditions to passengers in the Midwest, Texas and the East Coast. Flight change fees and pricing increases will be waived for people who changed flights due to weather within a designated rebooking window. JetBlue, American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and Alaska Airlines offer waivers for specified flight patterns and dates. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will bring blizzard conditions to locations near the Great Lakes along with extreme cold and deadly wind chills.
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Everything you need to know about the bomb cyclone
According to The Weather Channel, beginning Thursday evening, December 22, and lasting through the holiday weekend, there will be heavy snowfall across most of the Midwest, reaching as far south as Jackson, Mississippi. High winds are forecast along the East Coast, and frigid air will extend as far south as the traditionally balmy states of Texas and Florida. Forecasters predict the storm will reach its peak strength late this week, with heavy snowfall in the Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio regions.
Temperatures are anticipated to drop below zero across the Northern Plains and Intermountain West on Friday morning, December 23, and the frigid weather will last until the next week. According to a CNN meteorologist, the drop in temperatures could give rise to the coldest Christmas day in over 40 years for millions of people throughout the country.
Temperatures in some locations might drop so low that a person could develop frostbite on exposed areas in as little as five minutes, as per NY Post. Christmas Day in Chicago is expected to be the coldest since 1996, with a high of barely 12 degrees, it further reported.
The storm is expected to bring with it snow, rain and high winds from the Plains to the Atlantic Coast, all while a cold front will make temperatures plummet through the holiday weekend, as reported by Accu weather.
