Late-winter storm brings blizzard warnings, high winds and tornado risk across large parts of the US
The Facts
- A major storm system is affecting large portions of the central and eastern United States, bringing multiple hazards including heavy snow/blizzard conditions, high winds, and severe thunderstorms with tornado risk.
- Power outages reached the hundreds of thousands as the storm moved across the country, with PowerOutage.us reporting more than half a million customers without power early Monday.
- Winter weather alerts covered roughly 30 million people, including blizzard warnings extending into Michigan.
- Wind alerts covered a very large area, with reporting citing more than 120 million people under wind alerts from the Mississippi Valley into New England.
- Forecasts indicated a risk of severe storms capable of destructive winds and tornadoes across parts of the eastern US as the system moved east.
- The storm system was expected by forecasters to rapidly intensify and was described in coverage as potentially becoming a 'bomb cyclone.'
Context
What areas face the biggest threats from this storm?
Coverage described blizzard conditions and heavy snow in parts of the Upper Midwest including Michigan, while severe thunderstorms with the potential for destructive winds and tornadoes were forecast farther south and east, including parts of the Mid-Atlantic and portions of Virginia and North Carolina. Aol,Bloomberg Business,Daily Voice
How widespread are the wind impacts expected to be?
Reports said more than 120 million people from the Mississippi Valley into New England were under wind alerts, and forecasts for the Mid-Atlantic included gusts that could reach around 70 mph in some areas. Aol,Bloomberg Business
What does it mean when forecasters say the storm could become a 'bomb cyclone'?
In this coverage, a 'bomb cyclone' refers to a rapidly intensifying storm system, described as strengthening quickly as it moves across the US. Journal News,Democrat and Chroni…,Bloomberg Business
The receipts — all 35 sources
Wire services (1)
Independent coverage (34)
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