‘Epic’ cyclone hits central USA with heavy snow, strong winds
DENVER – A powerful “bomb cyclone” unleashed a ferocious mix of snow, rain and wind across the central USA on Wednesday.
More than 1,200 flights were canceled at Denver International Airport, where a wind gust of 80 mph was reported Wednesday morning. As of early afternoon, all runways were closed.
About 2,700 flights were canceled across the nation, according to flightaware.com.
As of 1 p.m., about 246,000 Denverarea residents were without power. Interstates were shut down, most schools were closed and many businesses declared a snow day.
In addition to road closures in Colorado and Wyoming, the Nebraska State Patrol closed Interstate 80 from the Wyoming border east to North Platte, as well as all state highways in the Nebraska Panhandle.
“This is a very epic cyclone,” said Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. “We’re looking at something that will go down in the history books.”
It could develop into the worst storm of its type in 35 or 40 years, he said.
A blizzard warning remained in effect for Denver on Wednesday afternoon, where 4-8 inches of snow was forecast, along with howling winds.
After a rainy early morning in Denver, conditions deteriorated rapidly, and by 11 a.m., most roads were snow-covered and flakes were whipping in the wind.
By noon, the fierce storm was rattling signs and rocking cars. Roads become treacherous, and two-wheel-drive sedans struggled to climb up anything resembling a hill.
“They predicted a blizzard, and that’s what we’re having,” said server Rindi Gray, 48, as she took a break from shoveling the sidewalk outside My Brother’s Bar, which boasts some of Denver’s best cheeseburgers but expected to close early because of the storm.
Across the city, workers struggled in vain to keep sidewalks and walkways clear.
Wrapped in a plastic poncho flapping loudly in the wind, Matt Krueger, 36, pushed snow off a sidewalk while more blew in right behind him.
“They told us to clear a path, but it’s just gonna get snowed over again,” he sighed.
Authorities asked drivers to stay off the roads.
Farther south, nearly 75,000 customers were without power in Texas.
“While not a tropical system, winds will rival what’s seen in a Category 1 hurricane,” weathermodels.com meteorologist Ryan Maue said.
Bomb cyclones – sometimes called winter hurricanes – are storms that strengthen unusually fast.
The worst weather hit the Plains, from Texas up to the Dakotas. “We expect a major blizzard to unfold with winds likely to approach hurricane force, heavy snow and massive drifts,” according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
One to 2 feet of snow and howling winds were forecast to lash portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas and Nebraska, where blizzard warnings were in effect. The National Weather Service warned of “impossible travel conditions.”
In Nebraska, Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an emergency declaration as the storm approached.
Wild, destructive winds gusting as high as 100 mph hit Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado. The Weather Service office in Midland/Odessa, Texas, said Wednesday could be “the windiest day in years.”
Many rivers in the Upper Midwest were likely to reach flood stage over the next several days, the Weather Service said.