A treacherous winter storm is barreling towards the Midwest and Northeast regions as upwards of 40 million Americans brace for impact through Sunday and Monday.
Meteorologists warned NPR that the new storm, coming so soon after the tristate was battered by a separate winter storm over the weekend, could transform into a disastrous ‘bomb cyclone.’
A “bomb cyclone,” or a bombogenesis, is a rapidly deepening area of low pressure that creates heightened weather conditions.
The team specifically noted that existing snow on the ground in New York City could freeze and worsen travel conditions when the storm ushers in colder air and freezing rain.
Sweeping blizzard warnings were issued from North Dakota up to Minnesota and Iowa early Sunday morning, with each state expecting anywhere between 3 and 8 inches of snow on top of 45 mph winds.
The flurries are expected to tumbleweed and create blanket whiteout conditions with near-zero visibility through Monday morning, all while swaths of Americans are embarking for pre- and post-holiday travel.
Minnesota is also under a harsher blizzard warning, with its Upper Peninsula set to see between 9 inches and a whopping 2 feet of snow with wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Winter storm warnings are also in place in parts of eastern Minnesota, including major cities like Minneapolis, from Sunday into Monday.
More high wind alerts are in effect for Detroit and Cleveland with both cities bracing for gusts up to 60 mph starting Sunday night and stretching into Tuesday morning.
In the Northeast, winter weather advisories are in effect from Pennsylvania all the way up to Maine with warnings for freezing rain from Sunday evening through Monday.
The Empire State isn’t spared either. Buffalo and Jamestown both have flood watches in place for up to 1.5 inches of rainfall starting Sunday and into Monday afternoon.
Most places sitting at higher elevations in northern New England and most of Maine will be hit with a mix of wintry precipitation, including the freezing rain.
The Russian roulette of inclement weather is already spurring more travel delays as airports batten down the hatches.
As of Sunday evening, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport were operating at an average half-hour delay and counting, according to FlightAware.
Back at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, which sits closer to the heart of the storm, arrivals and departures were both delayed by about an hour and steadily increasing, according to FlightAware.
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