Snow apocalypse in the US: 2 canceled thousands of flights, hundreds of cars stuck in the snow, the police do not come out of hiding

Около 1100 автомобилистов в Колорадо оказались в снежной ловушке на дорогах из-за свирепого зимнего шторма — «бомбового циклона» — вызвавшего ураганные ветры и метели в центральной части США.

Photo: Instagram / lauras.loop

According to officials, the weather in the state was so severe that law enforcement officers had to leave their cars and hide, instead of reacting to a large number of reports of car accidents, writes CNN.

«Мы находимся в ситуации, когда вынуждены спасать спасателей», — сказал менеджер округа Элберт Сэм Альбрехт.

Snow Denver is coming down to the mn in the Highlands North Denver #cowx pic.twitter.com/3W1N5opxWO

- Minh Phan (@WXMinh) March 13, 2019

13 March 100 cars were involved in a massive accident on Highway No.25 near Wellington, Colorado. According to the rescuers, there were no casualties, but people received injuries of varying severity.

Instagram Screenshot

In Weld County, north of Denver, the state police patrolman, Daniel Groves, 52-year-old, was hit by an 13 car in the morning of March, when he was assisting a motorist who drove off the No. XXNX highway. In the hospital, doctors stated the death of a man. Presumably the cause of the incident was a high driving speed in bad weather conditions. No charges were brought.

Because sometimes, cops need hero's too @ParkerPolice ? #teamwork ??❄️

#BombCyclone #blizzard2019 pic.twitter.com/yxRr3dz5uv

- South Metro Fire Rescue (@SouthMetroPIO) March 13, 2019

The winter storm turned into an 13 “bombing cyclone” of March and swept through Colorado on the way to the Great Plains and the Midwest.

A “bomb cyclone” occurs when there is a rapid pressure drop — with a decrease of at least a millibar 24 — for 24 hours. From the morning of March 12 to the morning of March 13, the pressure within this storm fell to the millibar 33.

Hurricane winds

The storm brought hurricane winds in the territory from the Rocky Mountains right up to Amarillo, Texas. Wind gusts equivalent to hurricane winds of the 1 and 2 categories were recorded at Denver International Airport and in Colorado Springs.

In New Mexico, a strong wind led to a train wreck with 26 cars near the village of Logan, no injuries were reported.

Screenshot from Twitter / @ NMStatePolice

Sound on for thunder snow ❄️! pic.twitter.com/UE7Vt8NvS1

- Hayley Breden (@HayleyVatch) March 13, 2019

The storm left thousands of people without electricity

At least 184 000 Xcel Energy customers have experienced power outages in Colorado. Officials said that about 5000 people using the services of other utility companies were also left without electricity.

Twitter screenshot

Instagram Screenshot

According to Jan Myers, a spokesperson for Oncor, in Texas, more than 69 000 people were left without electricity due to the storm. Myers said that sudden gusts hit the state with unprecedented force.

“We are used to seeing storms in Texas that disable our equipment, but they are usually localized. And this was a very widespread phenomenon. Everyone is working to restore the power supply, all our teams are working at full capacity so that we can resume the power supply as soon as possible, ”she said.

Thousands of power outages are also known in the Denver area, but there is no exact figure yet.

Snowstorms in Colorado

The storm led to a lot of snow falling on the Rocky Mountains. By noon, 13 March, west of Boulder, more than 9 inches (23 cm) of snow were recorded with gusts of wind speeds of more than 50 miles (80 km) per hour.

Meteorologists warn that “this is a serious blizzard” and ask the residents of the region to refrain from walks and trips to the maximum.

If you’re looking for an X44 engine, you can’t see what it’s like. The crew ensured that they were not able to shut off the line. House checked clear, no injuries, ready for the next emergency now. pic.twitter.com/myOoes6qvh

- South Metro Fire Rescue (@SouthMetroPIO) March 13, 2019

The storm is on its way to the Upper and Midwest, where strong snowstorms are expected. Meteorologists warn of heavy snow and wind with possible tornadoes and March 14 floods.

Warnings about blizzards and winter weather conditions apply to certain areas of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Twitter screenshot

The territories for which storm warnings were issued cover approximately 1,5 million square miles, which is about half the size of the continental United States, and extend from the Mexican to the Canadian border of the country.

Traveling through areas for which snowstorm warnings have been issued will be extremely dangerous and sometimes impossible.

Rolling the car #BombCyclone ? pic.twitter.com/6YucHVuS8V

— Coco Da Bear ? (@CocoDaBear) March 14, 2019

The storm can also cause devastating winds, hail and tornadoes in the southern plains and in the Mississippi River valley. More than 55 million people are threatened by strong winds; more than 10 million - under the threat of a winter storm; and more than 17 million - at risk of flooding.

Transportation and schools

According to the FlightAware website, by midday Wednesday, more than 1900 flights across the US or from the US were canceled. Most of these cancellations were flights to or from Denver Airport (DIA), where blizzards made flight impossible.

Denver itself is expected to snow from 5 to 8 inches (from 13 to 20 cm) of snow.

Several school districts in Colorado have decided to close schools, in particular, cancellation classes in Denver schools.

Wyoming closed government offices in Cheyenne, and the governor of South Dakota ordered the government offices in central and western districts of 39 to be closed due to a storm.

In the state of Nebraska, due to a blizzard, officials blocked approximately 130 miles (210 km) on the 80 highway heading west from Ogallala to Nebraska-Wyoming border.

Twitter screenshot

Winds of gusts from 50 to 70 miles (80-113 km) per hour are expected until Thursday morning in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. In some areas, wind gusts can reach 110 miles (177 km) per hour.

It is predicted that the storm will rapidly intensify and begin to slowly move to the northeast, which will lead to different extreme weather conditions in the area from New Mexico to the Midwest. It is expected that the snow will stop by noon Thursday, but a strong wind may persist until late evening on March 14.

In addition, flood warnings were issued in the Midwest and Great Plains amid fears that torrential rains would melt snow and cause flooding. The risk of flooding is also increasing due to the risk that ice jams clog rivers and streams.

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In Texas, a strong wind blew a truck off the highway. VIDEO

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September snow storm in the USA: 5 things that should not be left in a car in cold weather

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