Typhoon Ezra has disrupted holiday traffic across the US Northeast, Midwest and Great Lakes regions for the 3rd consecutive day as of December 29, leading to thousands of flights delayed and hundreds of flights canceled.
Meteorologists warn that a strong "bomb cyclone" is forming and could cause further disruptions to trips before the New Year holiday.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, as of 3:25 pm on December 29, local time, nearly 6,000 flights have been delayed and 751 flights have been canceled.
Since December 26, the weather has caused disruptions, causing more than 3,600 flights to be canceled and more than 30,000 other flights to be delayed.
The winter storm occurs at the strongest moving time of the year, when airlines operate at almost full capacity with limited flexibility in rebooking passengers.
Passengers traveling during the holidays face longer waiting times, more difficult ticket bookings, and other challenges as airlines cope with harsh winter weather.
AccuWeather forecasters warn that this winter storm will strengthen into a "bomb cyclone" from the night of December 29, leading to snowstorms, dangerous ice, floods and strong winds for a large area from Wisconsin to Maine.
Bomb cyclones occur when atmospheric pressure decreases rapidly, creating strong winds like storms and heavy rain. The cold air mass from the Arctic pushes the storm along with violent temperature fluctuations.
There are expected major traffic disruptions, local power outages and dangerous weather conditions lasting until the morning of December 30th.
Harsh weather also disrupts road traffic, with poor visibility, frozen road surfaces and heavy snowfall, posing a risk of chain accidents. Therefore, authorities in some areas have had to call on drivers to avoid moving when unnecessary.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns that driving may be dangerous when conditions similar to snowstorms, strong winds and ice cover the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a temporary suspension of operations at Dulles International Airport in Washington due to strong winds. Flights at airports in Boston and Newark, New Jersey to serve New York City have been delayed due to low visibility and strong winds.
