More than 90 million Americans are on their way to a severe winter storm that began with snow, strong winds and cold in eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota early Wednesday. It then began to move eastward, making the trips treacherous and landing on one of the most anticipated air travel days since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Areas such as Norfolk, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina, could be in danger of tornadoes Thursday, CBS New York meteorologist Lonnie Quinn told CBS Evening News.
The wind could reach “gusts of 50, 60, 70 mph in downtown New York City in downtown Boston. Mount Washington could set a record with winds of more than 150 mph,” Quinn said, warning that there could be power outages at Christmas in the northeast.
Windstorm warnings were issued in the region when National Meteorological Service officials called for wind chills to be reduced to less than 35 degrees Fahrenheit, pushed by gusts of more than 60 mph. Numerous travel warnings urged motorists to stay off the road and several highways were closed.
“Winter has arrived in the area,” said Greg Gust, a meteorologist with the weather service in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
CBS News meteorologist and climate specialist Jeff Berardelli said Thursday that the storm is being caused by an unusual giant line that runs across the nation. A lookout line is a group of storms arranged in a line, often accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains.
The storm moved from southeast Minnesota to Eau Claire, Wisconsin and northern Michigan Wednesday night. The heaviest snow band stretched from the Iron Mountain Range in northeastern Minnesota to Watertown in eastern South Dakota, Gust said.
Berardelli said the same storm system has led to a tornado clock from Mobile, Alabama, to Pensacola, Florida, as well as the Carolinas, particularly in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.
Cities further north, such as Pittsburgh and Buffalo, could see a white Christmas as the rain changes snow, while the Washington, DC region in Philadelphia, New York and Boston can expect strong winds of up to 70 miles per hour. Gusts could cause major power outages in these areas until Christmas morning.
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The storm fell in the area of the twin cities on Wednesday afternoon, where Gust said at least 8 inches of snow was expected.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport had suffered some 300 flight cancellations and 40 delays since Wednesday afternoon, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said. It was expected to be the third busiest day of the Christmas holiday travel period, behind next Sundays and Saturdays, he said.
“A lot of people have been able to go out this morning, but it can be hard to go this afternoon and night,” Hogan said.
Earlier in the day, a large crowd gathered at Hector Fargo International Airport, North Dakota, only to discover that most flights had been canceled due to high winds and low visibility. .
“Today was probably going to be our busiest day since the COVID coup or definitely just before Thanksgiving,” said Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of the Fargo Airport Authority. “Our building was pretty full this morning when American, Delta, United decided to cancel some flights.”
Andy Clayton-King / AP
Authorities in southeastern South Dakota responded Wednesday to several multiple vehicle accumulations, including one on I-29 north of Sioux Falls involving at least a dozen cars and a dozen semi-trailers, according to the firefighter. Dell Rapids volunteer Rick Morris. He said there were several non-life-threatening injuries and that some emergency response vehicles were trapped, the Argus leader reported.
Other motorists in eastern North and South Dakota opted to wait for the storm. The Coffee Cup Travel Plaza, one of the few stops on I-94 northeast of South Dakota, was quiet Wednesday morning, said Dani Zubke, a store worker near the town of Summit.
“There is blowing snow, poor visibility and travel is not recommended,” he said. “It’s been very slow. I don’t know there are a lot of people around. There are times you can only get to the end of our parking lot.”