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 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 , a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops. The sharp cold front left parts of the central U.S. waking up Monday to temperatures as much as 50 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) colder than the day before.
All that 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. Dangerous wind chills plunged as low as minus 30 F (minus 34 C) across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.
Storm expected to strengthen
The National Weather Service had warned of whiteout conditions beginning Sunday that could make travel impossible in some places.
In Iowa, blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning but high winds were still blowing fallen snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of crashes during the storm, including one that killed a person.
Forecasters expect the storm to intensify, fueled by a sharp clash between frigid Canadian air and lingering warmth across the southern United States.
Great Lakes region hit hard
Nationwide, nearly 220,000 customers were without power Monday night, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to . Airports reported over 9,000 flight delays and 889 cancellations within, into or out of the United States.
Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) 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.
Waves on Lake Superior were expected to reach 20 feet (6 meters) Monday, sending all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to . Weather forecasting on the lakes has improved greatly since the sank in 1975 after waves were predicted at up to 16 feet (5 meters).
The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.
Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he has never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised on Monday to spot the remnants of old piers dating back to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings sticking up several feet from the muck.
“Where those are at would typically be probably 12 feet (3.6 meters) deep,†he said. “We can usually drive our boat over them.â€
On the New York side, the National Weather Service said lake levels had risen to just below 8 feet (2.4 meters), with the potential to reach 9 feet (2.7 meters) or more by late Monday, due to the strong southwest wind flow. The agency also predicted “significant lakeshore flooding†along the Lake Erie shoreline of Erie and Chautauqua counties as well as along the upper Niagara River.
Rain and a wintry mix fell farther east across parts of the Northeast. Freezing rain was reported in northern New York, with the threat extending into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Forecasters warned the ice and wind could strain power lines and trees. More than 57,000 power outages were reported across upstate New York on Monday afternoon, utility officials said. Heavy lake-effect snow and possible whiteouts were forecast Tuesday for the northwestern part of the state, the National Weather Service said.
Powerful weather hits other parts of US
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 . Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the 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 and eastern Illinois, the National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes on Sunday, including an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 98 mph (158 kph) that damaged buildings and snapped power poles.
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Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York; Corey Williams in Detroit; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed.
