More than 2,200 flights were canceled Thursday in the United States due to Elliott, a major winter storm that disrupted vacation travel plans with a triple threat of heavy snow, hurricane winds and bitter cold.
At least five states (Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina) have implemented contingency plans and more are likely to follow with the Arctic’s worst blow yet to come.
“It’s not like a snowy day when you were a kidPresident Joe Biden told reporters at a White House briefing on the climate and transportation situation.
“ANDthis is serioushe added, urging people to heed warnings from local authorities.
In some areas of the country, affected by a dangerous cold front coming from the Arctic, white storms are already being recorded which impede visibility and make road conditions dangerous.
In addition to the 2,200 canceled flights as of 22:00 GMT, another 6,900 were returned to, from or to the United Statesaccording to FlightAware flight tracker.
President Biden attends a briefing on the winter storm sweeping through the country. He didn’t use a black marker to try and alter its course. pic.twitter.com/k74iEbq7yI
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 22, 2022
Most of the flights have been canceled so far They were in Chicago O’Hare or Denver airportsboth of international operations.
Hey, friends!
If you haven’t caught the news (or you heard it yourself), most of the United States is under an extreme cold and winter storm warning. The coldest holiday in almost 40 years.❄️
Some helpful emergency kit resources, things to be aware of and prepare for.🧵 pic.twitter.com/msQlbTteJA
— Deviija (@Deviija) December 22, 2022
AccuWeather meteorologists said so the storm could rapidly develop into what is known as a “bomb cyclone”when the pressure drops and a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass.
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Michael Charnick tweeted a video showing to drivers battling the clock on a highway between Colorado and Wyomingwhere the temperature with icy winds plummeted to -40ºC.
The NWS has issued key security messages on its Twitter account, warning that theSnowstorms (moderate to heavy snowfall lasting one to two hours)they had already occurred or were expected from the central lowlands to the east and northeast coast.
Oh! Beyond dangerous driving conditions in Wyoming as a winter storm sweeps across the United States. Video of the Wyoming Highway Patrol Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/mFtXJSduSa
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) December 22, 2022
“People exposed to extreme cold they are susceptible to freezing within minutes“He warned the weather service. “The areas most prone to frostbite are bare skin and the extremitieslike hands and feet. Hypothermia is another threat during extreme cold.”
Over 2,000 flights canceled due to a ‘once in a generation’ winter storm for Christmas https://t.co/u9bZEZBexD pic.twitter.com/eGD8l8AxMl
—Forbes (@Forbes) December 22, 2022
The conditions are so cold that they have allowed people to post videos of them making the call”boiling water challenge” in which it is thrown boiling water in the air and immediately freezes.
“It is recommended NOT TO TRAVEL”
In the Midwest, blizzard conditions stranded 100 motorists in Rapid City and Wall, South Dakota, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office tweeted. “He is advised NOT TO TRAVEL,” she added.
In Minneapolis and St. Paul there was more than 8 inches of snow in a 24-hour period, the NWS reported in an update Thursday morning.
First group escorted from Wall to Rapid City led by @SouthDakotaDOT plow and @SDHighwayPatrol the soldiers are still slowly moving towards Rapid City. In two hours they were from Wall at the New Underwood exit. Even with those resources, this journey is extremely difficult! pic.twitter.com/HvxT0dgOsZ
— Pennington County SO (@PennCoSheriff) December 22, 2022
Further east, in Buffalo, New York, meteorologists said it’s a “once in a generation storm“, with wind gusts exceeding 105 kilometers per hour, wind chill between 10 and 20 degrees below zero and scattered or perhaps widespread power outages.
Visibility is terrible in Box Elder heading east. We do NOT expect I-90 to open anytime soon, potentially not at all today (Thursday).
DO NOT attempt to use the side highways to bypass the interstate closure. Resources are limited and we can’t reach you if blocked. pic.twitter.com/Hts8WqP3fF— Pennington County SO (@PennCoSheriff) December 22, 2022
Over the border, Canada East prepared for similar conditionswith heavy snowfalls and rapidly dropping temperatures.
Night/morning video of first responders rescuing people on the roads east of Box Elder. Please disregard travel advisories. I-90 remains closed in both directions from Box Elder to Chamberlain. Strong winds are causing blackout/drift conditions. The extreme cold is life threatening. pic.twitter.com/rs3QoP2sZ9
— Pennington County SO (@PennCoSheriff) December 22, 2022
Toronto Airport, the busiest in the country, the crisis of climate chaos was already felt, with delays and more and more cancellations.
movement peak
The storm coincides with a Transportation Safety Administration report stating so travel volume for these holidays was close to pre-pandemic levelswith the greatest movement on Thursday, three days before Christmas.
Airlines cancel 2,700 US flights as winter storm disrupts holiday travel https://t.co/EUmuGemFqn pic.twitter.com/LPrktydkhU
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2022
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines had already taken action issue waivers and allow passengers to change their flights free of charge.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has estimated this more than 112 million people will travel more than 80km between Friday and January 2ndthe vast majority by car.
