Bomb cyclone in California, Oregon could lead to flight delays across US
Frank WitsilA warning to Thanksgiving travelers: In addition to the usual woes, be prepared for strong winds Wednesday in southeast Michigan to blow SUVs and big trucks all over roadways, and snowstorms elsewhere in the nation to delay — and cancel — flights.
Thanksgiving travel is bad enough, but this year, it will be worse.
Blame the bomb cyclone in California, just don't say bomb if you are at an airport.
If there is any good news, it's that technology — electronic updates, mobile mapping tools and better phones — can help keep you up-to-date on what's happening and mitigate your relatives' anxiety and frustration.
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Powerful winters storms — as weather services issue watches and alerts — have been pounding the West Coast and Midwest, shutting down highways and tying up travel plans on one of the nation's busiest travel days.
A bomb cyclone, also known as bombogenesis, is when barometric pressure rapidly drops at the center of a storm. It has been sweeping into northern California and southern Oregon, bringing with it 100-mph wind gusts.
Flights to and from Denver International Airport were canceled Tuesday, and more than 1,000 passengers spent Monday night at the airport after a major snowstorm hit the Denver area, according to airport officials and news reports.
A status alert on Detroit Metro Airport's website said to expect delays from Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
The airport said it is expecting nearly 1.6 million travelers this holiday season, 35,000 more than last year, but, so far, officials said Wednesday morning, they were not aware of any "significant cancellations or delays."
AAA estimates that more than 55 million travelers planned to kick off the holiday season with a trip of 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving. The auto club estimates that's the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking it in 2000.
Meanwhile, Google has a Mapping Thanksgiving tool, that may help by offering insight about the places people visit around the holidays and, according to the tech company, "the best times to get on (or stay off) the road."
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. USA Today contributed to this report.