‘Bomb cyclone’ rages on
From the Palmer Divide to the Plains Wednesday, an exceptionally-powerful “bomb cyclone” brought 100 mph wind gusts and conditions rivaling those of a hurricane, except with blinding snow in many places.
The cyclone of “historic proportions,” according to the National Weather Service, is racing into the Upper Midwest. Blizzard conditions, which stranded more than 1,000 motorists in Colorado Wednesday and shut down Denver International Airport, continue to plaster parts of the Dakotas and northwest Minnesota.
A severe storm threat extends on the massive cy- clone’s south and east side, from northern Mississippi and Alabama into southern Michigan. “Damaging winds and a few tornadoes will be possible along with large hail,” the weather service said Thursday.
“Major damage” was reported from a tornado near Paducah, Kentucky, Thursday morning. The twister narrowly missed the weather service office in Paducah, requiring meteorologists to seek shelter while the Weather Service office in Louisville briefly took over operation.
In the transition zone between the warm and cold sectors of the storm, the combination of downpours and melting snow poses flooding concerns in eastern Nebraska and Minnesota, southeast South Da- kota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Ice jams are a major concern along rivers in this region.
By Friday, the storm effects on the Lower 48 are expected to turn tamer, as it lifts into northeast Canada. Mainly just rain showers are expected as the storm’s cold front pushes toward the Eastern Seaboard.
But the storm will leave behind a remarkable and, in some areas, a destructive and costly legacy.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the storm came in different phases, transitioning from violent thunderstorms on its southern flank to a full-fledged blizzard on its north and west side. In the middle, soaking rain on top of snowfall and icy rivers led to flooding.