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An end-of-season storm system is expected to explode Wednesday in the central United States, becoming a "bomb blast" as it crisscrosses the region under conditions of snowstorm, heavy rain and high winds threatening to provoke journeys of tens of millions of people.
The National Weather Service said the "very powerful winter storm" would intensify in the central Rockies before heading east across the central plains. The storm should meet the criteria of a "bomb hurricane" as it will strengthen by dropping 24 millibars in 24 hours, according to Janice Dean, senior weather forecaster at Fox News.
"70 million people could be affected by this storm system in the Plains states, resulting in blizzard conditions, potential tornadoes and sudden floods," Dean said on Wednesday to "FOX & friends".
A millibar is the measure of atmospheric pressure, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
WHAT IS A "CYCLONE OF BOMB"?
"This can happen when a mass of cold air collides with a mass of warm air, such as air over warm ocean waters," says the National Ocean. Service on his website. "The formation of this rapidly growing weather system is a process called" bombogenesis ", which creates what is called a cyclone bomb." The same type of reinforcement can occur during a land storm, such as Wednesday's system.
The "cyclone bomb" is expected to cause heavy snowfall in the Rockies, high winds and the threat of extreme weather.
(Fox News)
Wednesday's storm is expected to bring up to 18 inches of snow in parts of Colorado and Wyoming, and could be one of Kansas' strongest storms, according to Dean.
NWS officer Boulder urged people to cancel their travel plans Wednesday afternoon and evening due to whiteout conditions.
Blizzard warnings extend from the Denver area to the north, passing through Nebraska, Wyoming, the Dakota and northern Minnesota. According to Dean, there is also a risk of sudden flooding in the Upper Midwest.
In addition to heavy snowfall, the intensification of the storm will result in hurricane force winds blowing snow, as well as very strong winds up to 30 km / h along the south side of the storm. .
A "dangerous wind" is expected throughout New Mexico, western Texas, parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
(Fox News)
"Very high winds will also affect large parts of the southern highlands in the center of the country where strong wind warnings have been issued by National Meteorological Service offices in these areas," said the NWS Weather Prediction Center. . Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts above 60 mph are expected in most of New Mexico, in western Texas, from central to western Ontario. Oklahoma, as well as in parts of Kansas and southeastern Colorado.
"It's a potentially dangerous wind," the NWS office in Midland said. "It will be one of the strongest winds in years for western Texas and southeastern New Mexico."
The meteorological threat of the "cyclone bomb"
(Fox News)
The threat of extreme weather persisted on the east side of the storm, extending from Texas to the Mississippi Valley for places such as Little Rock and Memphis.
LIGHTNING illuminates the skies of southern California, with about 1,500 pulses reported in 5 minutes
All major metropolitan districts in Denver have already canceled the school Wednesday and Denver International Airport has announced that more than 900 flights had been canceled due to the storm, the FOX31 agency said. .
The additional snow surge comes as Colorado faces the constant threat of avalanches this winter.
New avalanche corridor seen under Mount Victoria on Thursday, March 7, 2019 in Frisco, Colorado.
(Hugh Carey / Summit Daily News via AP)
An avalanche injured a sheriff and his daughters on Tuesday when he crashed at home in the Colorado countryside. The Hinsdale County Sheriff, Justin Casey, was with his two teenage daughters in their home, nestled in the San Juan Mountains, when the sledge hit.
Casey managed to call for help and about 15 rescuers found the family in less than an hour. Casey and one of his daughters were treated for minor injuries.
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"The house is destroyed, completely destroyed," Sandy Hines, County Administrative Assistant, told the Associated Press.
About fifteen houses near the Casey property were evacuated as a precaution. Other residents of the area have been warned of the possibility of further avalanches.
"All this is unprecedented," said Hines, who has lived in the area for 25 years.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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