A “bomb cyclone” could hit the Midwest later this week and is already wreaking havoc on holiday travel, with several airlines pre-emptively offering waivers.
According to The Conversation,
“A bomb cyclone is a large, intense midlatitude storm that has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation. It becomes a bomb when its central pressure decreases very quickly.”
Major airlines are trying to get ahead of the weather and have already issued travel waivers due to the ominous forecast that’s said to hit cities including Chicago — a major air travel hub.
United Airlines, which is headquartered in the Windy City, is offering inclement weather waivers. Flight change fees will be waived as well as fare increases for customers who take advantage of the waivers and book within a specific rebooking window.
JetBlue, American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines are also offering waivers.
Snow is already falling in the Texas Panhandle.
The major storm named Winter Storm Elliott by The Weather Channel could turn into a “bomb cyclone” in the Midwest later this week and bring blizzard conditions to parts of the Great Lakes as well as high winds to the East Coast.
The storm will also bring bitterly cold air to most of the nation even as far south as Texas, the Gulf Coast, and Florida.
Forecasters believe the storm will reach its peak later in the week, bringing heavy snow to parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
The drop in temperature could create the coldest Christmas Day in nearly 40 years for millions across the country, according to a CNN meteorologist report.
Christmas Day in Chicago has a forecasted high of only 12 degrees which could make it the coldest Christmas since 1996.
