US: 'Bomb cyclone' threatens Christmas eve, affects thousands of flights
The weather departments in the US have issued warnings for an impending 'bomb cyclone' which is likely to spoil the holiday season by triggering a "once-in-a-generation" arctic storm. Thousands of flights had to be canceled and homeless shelters were overflowing on Thursday as temperatures dropped to as low as -45 degrees Celsius in some areas. It is feared to affect around 135 million people.
Cyclone moving through central US to east
It began as a storm in the North Pacific on Tuesday and moved through the central US to the east on Wednesday. It is forecast to hit the Great Lakes and turn into a bomb cyclone by Friday, where its pressure could reach a Category 3 hurricane. Moving east, it's expected to dump heavy snow and cause widespread power outages in the midwestern region.
Significant life threat: Federal weather agency
The wind speeds are forecast at around 90 kmph and it would rapidly intensify to turn into a bomb cyclone, meteorologists say. According to National Weather Service (NWS), every state in the continental US is likely to experience temperatures below -6 degrees Celsius on Christmas eve. The NWS's Chicago branch warned of "a significant life threat to life for anyone stranded in the storm."
Many states witnessing unprecedented temperatures, snowfall
Build-up of a volatile storm
5 dead in recent storms so far
President Joe Biden called the cyclone "serious stuff" on Thursday after advisers briefed him on the matter. He told citizens that if they were planning Christmas travel and hadn't left until then, it was not advisable as things could get dicey thereafter. Weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook informed that five people have died in the recent storms and blizzards since last week.
What is it and how is it formed
Bomb cyclones are essentially storms formed in winter by a process known as bombogenesis or explosive cyclogenesis. A rapidly intensifying midlatitude cyclone with its central air pressure dropping to at least 24 millibars over 24 hours is classified as a bomb cyclone. The 'bomb' in the name refers to the explosive power contained in these storms due to the sudden pressure drop.
