The winter storm Elliot who whipped USA this week can provoke the coldest Christmas in four decadeswarned meteorologists.
The cold snap began in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, December 20, and then turned east. It is expected that this Friday, December 23, it will become a “cyclone bomb”.
More than 90 million people are under a winter weather alert in 37 states. And about 80% of the US territory will experience temperatures below zeroincluding places as far south as Texas.
The arctic blast could result in the coldest Christmas in the Midwest since the late 1980s.
cold winds and snow
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that the temperatures could oscillate between -10 to -21 degrees Celsius later this week in some parts of the country.
The storm is expected to bring strong winds and snowdrifts, which will complicate travel conditions ahead of the holidays.
“Los cold winds of this magnitude can cause freezing in less than five minutes if precautions are not taken, and hypothermia and death are also possible from prolonged exposure to cold,” the agency said.
The National Weather Service (US Weather Service) called it a “once in a generation” winter weather event, especially when the storm reaches the Great Lakes region, where its pressure is expected to reach the equivalent of a major hurricane. 3.
In fact, the governors of Kentucky y North Carolina declared state of emergency in their locations.
What is a cyclone pump?
A cyclonic pump is the term for a rapidly intensifying storm with a drop in air pressure at the center of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
They are known as cyclone bombs due to the explosive power caused by the rapid drop in pressure. Such storms they bring weather ranging from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy rainfall.
Cyclonic bombs are most common on the east coast of the United States and Canada, where the cold ground and the warm current of the Gulf Stream provide optimal conditions for their emergence.
canceled trips
The American Automobile Association estimated that more than 112 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home between this Friday, December 23, and January 2, the vast majority (102 million) by car.
More than 2 thousand 200 flights They were canceled for Thursday 22 and Friday 23, according to the website that monitors FlightAware air traffic.
Cities in the United States will have snow on Christmas
By this Christmas weekend, major cities in the United States could be covered in white as a result of extreme weather. Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo will have Snowy landscape.
According to historical records, the areas where snow falls during Christmas they are: Alaska, Minnesota, Maine, upstate New York, the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as just about anywhere in Idaho.
Additionally, this 2022 the following states have at least a 90% chance of registering snowfall in some city during Christmas:
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- Utah
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- New York
- New Hampshire
Although in many the thermometers will reach the most extreme levels in years, historical records may not be broken, according to The Weather Channel.
“These could be the coldest temperatures in more than 25 years in Billings, Montana, and the worst weather since a cold snap in December 1990 in Denver. While it is certainly dangerously cold, they should not exceed the all-time lows in Billings (-38°F in February 1936) and Denver (-29°F in January 1875).”
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