An intensifying bomb cyclone swept across the northern US on Monday severe winter weather in the Midwest when he headed to the East Coast.
The storm brought blizzards, treacherous travel and power outages to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday as sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain swept through.
Forecasters said the storm had intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria for a bomb cyclonea system that rapidly strengthens when the pressure drops. A sharp cold front caused parts of the central US to wake up Monday to temperatures up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) cooler than the previous day.
All that wind and snow created “a pretty significant system even for this part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. Dangerously cold winds dropped to minus 30 F (minus 34 C) in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.
The National Weather Service warned of conditions Sunday that could make travel impossible in some places.
In Iowa, blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning, but strong winds were still blowing snow across roadways and keeping more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 35 closed. State officials reported dozens of accidents during the storm, including one that killed a person.
Forecasters expect the storm to intensify, fueled by a sharp clash between freezing Canadian air and lingering warmth in the southern United States.
Nationwide, about 350,000 customers were without power Monday afternoon, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us. Airports reported more than 6,000 flight delays and approximately 775 cancellations within the United States.
Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with some areas receiving up to 2 feet (0.6 meters), according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said more snow is expected in the coming days, although totals will be lighter.
According to MarineTraffic.com, waves on Lake Superior were expected to reach 20 feet (6 meters) on Monday, sending all but one cargo ship to harbors where they are sheltering. The weather forecast on the lakes has improved significantly since last year Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 after waves of up to 16 feet (5 meters) were predicted.
Gusty winds on Lake Erie sent water to the eastern end of the basin near Buffalo, while lowering the water on the west side in Michigan to expose the normally submerged lake floor — even the wreckage of a car and a snowmobile.
The National Weather Service said lake levels rose just below 8 feet (2.4 meters), with the potential to reach 9 feet (2.7 meters) or more by late Monday due to strong southwesterly winds, and predicted “significant lakeshore flooding” along the Lake Erie shoreline in Erie and Chautauqua counties, as well as along the upper Niagara River.
Rain and a wintry mix were falling further east across parts of the Northeast. Freezing rain was reported in upstate New York, with the threat extending into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Forecasters warned that ice and wind could bring down power lines and trees. As of Monday afternoon, more than 57,000 power outages were reported in upstate New York, utility officials said. Heavy lake-effect snowfall and possible fading was forecast for the northwestern part of the state on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where the soil has been saturated recent storms. Two more storms have been forecast for later this week, with New Year’s Day rain likely to drench Pasadena’s Rose Parade for the first time in two decades.
A weekend snowstorm dumped 15 to 40 inches (38 to 102 centimeters) on Alaska’s northern belt, according to the National Weather Service, keeping the region under a winter storm warning Monday as Juneau braced for up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) more and possible freezing rain. City facilities were shut down and road crews piled snow into towering levees, while communities to the south faced flooding from melting snow and heavy rain.
And in central Illinois on Sunday, an EF1 tornado with 98 mph (158 km/h) winds damaged buildings and snapped power poles.
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