Airlines Issue Travel Alerts and Waivers in Anticipation of Bomb Cyclone

Pretty to look at, but, in reality, a dangerous storm system. photo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/02/monster-storm-to-blast-east-coast-before-polar-vortex-uncorks-tremendous-cold-late-this-week/?utm_term=.1407a955e638

HOLY Batman. There’s something called a Bomb Cyclone and it’s supposed to hit the east coast this week. What is it? According to Wikipedia, the monster storm system is officially called Explosive Cyclogenesis, which frankly doesn’t make me feel any better than Bomb Cyclone or Weather Bomb or any of the other names for this weather phenomenon.

This is what the Washington Post has to say about this week’s forecasted Bomb Cyclone:

Unforgiving cold has punished the eastern third of the United States for the past 10 days. But the most severe winter weather yet will assault the area late this week.

First, a monster storm will hammer coastal locations from Georgia to Maine with ice and snow. By Thursday, the exploding storm will, in many ways, resemble a winter hurricane, battering easternmost New England with potentially damaging winds in addition to blinding snow.

Forecasters are expecting the storm to become a so-called “bomb cyclone” because its pressure is predicted to fall so fast, an indicator of explosive strengthening. The storm could rank as the most intense over the waters east of New England in decades at this time of year. While blizzard conditions could paste some coastal areas, the most extreme conditions will remain well out over the ocean.

What does this mean for travel? The airlines have started issuing travel waivers for travel in the Northeastern USA on January 4th and 5th. If you are scheduled to fly to or from any of the impacted cities during the predicted storm, check with your carrier – here are some of the airline travel alerts American Airlines, Delta, United and others.

ht: Jason Dimaio