‘Once in a Generation’ winter storm to impact Christmas travel to, from Phoenix

TRAVEL Amine 22 Dec , 2022 0

Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5/CNN) – Severe winter storms and cold snaps will affect nearly every state, resulting in what the National Weather Service calls a “once-in-a-generation type of event,” with travel on the busiest travel days of the year. Intensified storm brings more than a foot of snow and blizzard potential to Midwest as weather office warns millions of cold weather with ‘life-threatening’ winds .

More than 90 million people have winter weather warnings and more than 87 million have cold weather warnings. Alert spans her 37 states and goes all the way down to the Texas-Mexico border.

In his hometown of Phoenix, more than 50 games were affected early Thursday morning. By 6am, 26 flights had been canceled, according to Sky Harbor International’s flight status board.

As Arizona families reported Wednesday, more than 100 delays and cancellations had been reported over the busy holiday weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, more than 100 million people are under winter and cold weather warnings, which is about one-third of the US population.

The cold weather continues through Christmas weekend, when the Plains and parts of the Midwest experience their coldest Christmas in nearly 40 years.

CNN reports that Thursday will be the most difficult day for travel. The storm will hit the Midwest very hard with heavy snow and strong winds. Western Minnesota could experience deadly cold winds on Thursday and Friday, as well as blizzard conditions.

“During that time, whiteout conditions are expected, making travel very difficult or impossible,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said. “This event can be life threatening if you are stuck in wind chill in the minus 30 to 45 degrees range.”

Chicago can also face blizzard conditions, with 50 mph wind gusts and 2 to 4 inches of snowfall expected.

“Overall, there continues to be growing concern that hazardous conditions could develop rapidly on Thursday afternoon, significantly impacting the peak travel window for the evening,” Chicago’s weather service office warned. .

In addition, high winds could knock out power lines in the Midwest, especially in areas where heavy snowfall last week has already weighed on tree branches. People will find ways to stay warm.

Snow could hit Jackson, Tennessee, Mississippi, Memphis, Nashville, and even Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday. Little or no snow is expected in most cities in the South, but Nashville can get about an inch of snow.

Anticipating a week full of travel nightmares, United, American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue traveled from the South to the Northeast due to snow-covered roads and poor visibility. Department has issued travel exemptions to dozens of airports across the country. It can make air travel dangerous.

At least 1,000 flights across the country were canceled Wednesday night, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport leads the way, followed by Denver International Airport and Chicago’s Midway International Airport.

Cancellations at these airports could have wider implications as they are busy hubs where travelers frequently change planes to reach other destinations. Expect a busy day.

What can travelers expect over the weekend?

By Friday, the storm is expected to become a bomb cyclone, a term for a rapidly intensifying storm, dropping 24 millibars (a term used to measure atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours.

“This is a case where the total amount of snow may not tell the whole story. The sudden arrival of these conditions can increase the danger,” said the Weather Service. explainedNew England will soon see snow and windy conditions from Friday night through Saturday morning.

The cold weather will continue through the Christmas weekend and will finally cool down next week.