A large part of the country will be hit by a strong winter storm, a phenomenon that meteorologists say occurs “only once in a generation”. The mercury will drop to -55°C locally, making travel by car or plane “very dangerous”.
A violent winter storm is expected to sweep through much of the United States this weekend, threatening to wreak havoc while tens of millions of Americans plan to travel for the holiday season.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the storm should begin to form on Wednesday night, intensify through Friday and last through the Christmas weekend, bringing extremely low temperatures, snowfall and strong winds in the north and east of the country .
It was “a storm that comes only once in a generation,” the local agency in Buffalo, New York, warned on Twitter.
Locally down to -55°C
The Midwest and Great Lakes region will be particularly affected by snowstorms this weekend. The mercury is expected to drop very sharply in just a few hours, reaching a felt temperature of as low as -55C in the Great Plains region.
“A cold of this magnitude can cause frostbite on exposed skin within minutes, and hypothermia and death if exposure is prolonged,” the NWS warned.
In the city of Denver, where temperatures are expected to hit a 30-year low, authorities have converted a massive concourse, the Denver Coliseum, into a sanctuary for those in need of shelter and warmth.
“Very dangerous” travel conditions
The gusts can also blow at up to 50 mph (80 km/h), potentially causing downed trees and power outages.
Private meteorological site AccuWeather warns of the possible formation of a “cyclone bomb” created by the collision of polar air with a mass of warmer air, causing a very rapid drop in pressure.
These conditions will be “very dangerous” for travel by road or air, the NWS warned.
But as of Thursday, millions of Americans are expected at airports across the country, with the holiday season expected to be “busier” this year than 2021, with a return “to pre-pandemic levels,” according to the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). ). According to the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), no fewer than 47,500 flights were planned for Thursday in the United States alone.
United Airlines has “encouraged” its customers to check the status of their flight and change it “for free” if possible. The storm will “clearly cause disruption,” including delays, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a television interview.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the roads also promise to be busy as 102 million Americans need to drive to where they will be vacationing.
In total, about 112 million people had to walk at least 80 kilometers between December 23 and January 2, according to this organization, the third-highest number since counting began in 2000.
Warning in 26 states
According to the NWS, cold watches and warnings have been issued in parts of at least 26 states, stretching from the border with Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.
It’s not the snow that’s the biggest concern with this storm, it’s the cold and the wind. The heaviest snowfall is expected in the Great Lakes region between Wednesday evening and Friday, at just over 30 centimeters.
In February 2021, the freezing cold hit Texas in particular, causing an increase in energy consumption, followed by massive power outages lasting several days.
Weather services wanted to reassure this situation this time, temperatures should be lower there and for a shorter time than during this episode.