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Bomb cyclone brings blizzards and dangerous wind chills to the Midwest
In Iowa, the state patrol responded to dozens of crashes Sunday and Monday, reporting 12 injuries and one death
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A strengthening bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. on Monday, unleashing severe winter weather in the Midwest as it took aim at the East Coast.
The storm brought blizzard conditions, treacherous travel and widespread 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 intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that rapidly strengthens as surface pressure drops. The sharp cold front left parts of the central U.S. waking up Monday to temperatures as much as 50 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the day before.
The driving wind and snow created “a pretty significant system for even this part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. Forecasters expected the storm to intensify as it moved east, fueled by a sharp clash between frigid Canadian air and lingering warmth across the southern United States.
The plunging temperatures, combined with strong winds, created dangerous wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. The National Weather Service warned of whiteout conditions beginning Sunday that could make travel impossible in some places.
In Iowa, blizzard conditions eased but high winds were blowing fallen snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles of Interstate 35 closed Monday morning. State troopers reported 193 calls for service between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday. That included 37 crashes resulting in 12 injures and one death.
The strong area of low pressure tracking from the Great Lakes into southeast Canada brought heavy snow to parts of Michigan on Monday, with powerful winds and intense lake-effect snow expected across the Great Lakes into New York.
In Detroit, three semitrailers and roughly 20 other vehicles crashed on Interstate 75, injuring one person, said Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Diane Cross, as strong winds whipped newly fallen snow into sudden squalls.
Nationwide, about 400,000 customers were without power Monday morning, nearly a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us.
U.S. airports reported around 5,000 flight delays and around 700 cancellations. At The Eastern Iowa Airport, there were 27 delays and 25 cancellations on Sunday, according to FlightAware. The website reported another 22 delays and six cancellations at the Cedar Rapids airport on Monday.
Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where as much as 2 feet fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be far lighter than what fell overnight.
Rain and a wintry mix fell farther east across parts of the Northeast. Freezing rain was reported in parts of northern New York, with the threat extending into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Forecasters warned the ice could strain power lines and trees. State police in Vermont said they responded to 92 crashes overnight, three of which resulted in injuries.
On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where soils have been saturated by recent storms. Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.
A weekend snowstorm hit Alaska’s northern panhandle with 15 to 40 inches (38 to 102 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service, keeping the region under a winter storm warning Monday as Juneau braced for up to 9 more inches (23 centimeters) and possible freezing rain. City facilities were closed and road crews piled snow into towering berms, while communities farther south faced flood watches from snowmelt and heavy rain.
And in central Illinois, an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 98 mph damaged buildings and snapped power poles on Sunday.
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