Storm of the century: a dangerous winter storm will cover all of America before Christmas

A severe winter storm and cold will affect nearly every state and bring what the National Weather Service calls "a once-in-a-generation event." This will all hurt Christmas travel, reports CNN.

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The intensifying storm will bring more than 30 cm of snow and possible snowstorms to the Midwest as the weather service warns of "life-threatening" frost for millions of people.

More than 90 million people are on a winter weather alert and more than 87 million are on a cold weather alert. The warnings extend to 37 states, dropping as far south as the Texas-Mexico border.

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The cold will continue into the Christmas weekend, making this Christmas the coldest in about 40 years for parts of the Plains and the Midwest.

Estimated chronology of the storm:

December 21: the storm will intensify over the northern plains during the day as heavy snow falls across much of the Rocky Mountains, northern plains and the Midwest. Slippery roads will lead to headaches and airport delays in places like Minneapolis, Omaha and Rapid City.

This system will bring 12 to 22 cm of light fluffy snow across the region, with "the greatest amount north and west of Minneapolis and St. Paul," the report said. While snow will fall steadily across the region, strong winds will not increase until December 22.

In Denver, the temperature will drop to -10C on December 22 in the morning. According to the meteorological service, it will be the coldest day in the city in 32 years.

22 December: will be the most difficult day to travel. The storm will hit the Midwest with heavy snow and strong winds.

Western Minnesota will face not only the snowstorm, but also potentially deadly wind chills on December 22nd and 23rd. “Blizzard conditions are expected at this time and travel will be very difficult or impossible,” the weather service said. “This event can be life-threatening if you are stuck outside in such cold winds.”

Chicago could also experience a blizzard with wind gusts of up to 80 mph and predicted 5 to 10 cm of snow.

"Overall, concerns about the rapid development of dangerous conditions on December 22 continue to grow during the afternoon, which could have a significant impact on the evening peak tourist window," the Chicago weather service warned.

In addition, strong winds could knock out power lines in the Midwest, especially in areas that experienced heavy snowfall last week and are already crushing tree branches. This will force millions of people to look for a way to keep warm when the temperature drops below zero.

On December 22, snow could fall in Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis, Nashville, Tennessee and even Birmingham, Alabama. Little or no snow accumulation is expected in most southern cities, however Nashville could see up to 2,5 cm of snow fall.

Ahead of what will be a week of travel nightmares, United, American, Delta, Southwest and Jet Blue have issued a travel ban on dozens of airports across the country from south to northeast because, in addition to snowy roads, poor visibility can make air travel dangerous.

December 23: the storm is expected to become a "bomb cyclone" from the evening of December 22 to December 23. This is a cyclone when the storm rapidly intensifies and the central pressure decreases by 24 millibars (a term used to measure atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours.

The storm is expected to reach pressures equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane when it hits the Great Lakes, an event the weather service describes as what is happening. "once in a generation".

“This is the case when the total amount of snow may not give an understanding of the whole picture. Even a small amount of snow, combined with very strong gusts of wind and rapidly dropping temperatures, can result in poor visibility and slippery roads.

The sudden onset of these conditions can increase the danger, ”the weather service explained.

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The storm will hit the Great Lakes on Dec. 23 and continue to bring heavy snowfall across much of the Midwest. By December 23, parts of Michigan could get more than 30cm of snow, sometimes making travel impossible.

Heavy rain will also cover much of I-95, exacerbating travel problems and long delays at the airport.

Even where the snow has ended, strong winds will continue to blow at 48 to 64 mph across much of the Midwest and Northeast.

Snowy and windy conditions are expected in New England on the evening of December 23rd and morning of December 24th.

life-threatening cold

The places that are saved from the snow will not be saved from the cold. Areas from eastern Montana to the Dakotas will experience their coldest air since the morning of December 23rd. The combination of low temperatures and windy conditions will cause cold to minus 45 degrees in terms of how it will be felt.

On the morning of December 22 in Rapid City, the cold will feel like minus 40 degrees. By the morning of December 23rd, a cold wind in Chicago will drop temperatures to what feels like 30 degrees below zero.

"Dangerously cold winds can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes," Bismarck's weather service warned.

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Even in the south it will be dangerously cold. Cold winds in Nashville and Atlanta will make it feel like -23 degrees outside on December 24 in the morning, while in Birmingham it will feel like -20 degrees.

Jackson and Birmingham will spend over 80 hours in sub-zero temperatures from December 23 to December 26. Houston could stay below freezing for 46 hours from Dec 22 to Dec 24.

Cold temperatures will continue through the Christmas weekend before finally picking up again next week.

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