Snow and 'Bomb Cyclone" have Flights Canceled

Heavy snows, reaching 30 inches in some areas, disrupted travel across the center of the United States on Tuesday and threatened to make more trouble on Wednesday as the Thanksgiving holiday approached. Hundreds of flights were canceled, thousands of travelers were stranded at airports, and stretches of major highways were closed because of unsafe conditions and periods of poor-to-nonexistent visibility.

At the same time, the Northwest was warned of a separate “bomb cyclone” storm blowing in from the Pacific Ocean that could sock that region with powerful winds and heavy precipitation.

Some coastal areas in Northern California and Oregon should brace for “stronger than hurricane-force winds,” the National Weather Service said, warning that the high winds could bring down power lines, ripping branches from trees and threaten to push eighteen-wheelers and RVs off the roads.

Almost 500 flights were canceled to and from Denver International Airport beginning late on Monday, and hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport overnight, as nearly a foot of snow fell on the Denver area by Tuesday morning. A number of airlines, including American, Southwest, and Delta, issued travel waivers, allowing passengers to change their flights without incurring fees.