Holiday 'bomb cyclone' to create travel nightmares

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. air travel figures through Tuesday show the number of people passing through airport checkpoints is up from year-ago levels, though the next few days will be tricky given the prospects for a deadly winter storm system ahead of the busy holiday weekend.

Data from Sunday through Tuesday from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration show an average of 2.27 million people moving through airport security, up 10% from the same period last year.

Most major airports are already reporting flight delays and cancellations ahead of a severe winter storm. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Those levels might not hold as a major storm system is setting up for extremely dangerous travel conditions over the next few days. The National Weather Service said to expect bitter cold and life-threatening wind chills over the Northern Plains starting Wednesday and those conditions will continue to move eastward toward the weekend.

Many states east of the Rockies can expect near-blizzard conditions in time for the busy holiday weekend. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Significant amounts of freezing rain are expected before temperatures drop enough to turn that precipitation into snow. Blizzard warnings are already in place for parts of southern Wisconsin and some of the Great Lakes states could see as much as 2 feet of snow before the storm finally heads out to the Atlantic early next week.

On the West Coast, meanwhile, there are already warnings about the cold, with Spokane, Wash., expecting wind chills of around minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit for Wednesday and minus 40 for Thursday.

A "misery map" from the online tracking tool FlightAware shows there were 58 flights delayed so far and seven cancellations out of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport already Wednesday. That's having national implications as well, with 49 delays and one cancellation out of Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Several regional authorities, meanwhile, are calling on would-be travelers and last-minute shoppers to stay off the roads as the "bomb cyclone" creates blizzard-like conditions over the Midwest and the East Coast.

Capt. Kevin Sweeney, the deputy state director of emergency management in Michigan, said to hit the road early, or delay travel plans, ahead of the storm.

"The most important thing residents can do to stay safe during extreme weather is to be ready ahead of time by equipping their homes and vehicles with basic emergency preparedness items and developing an emergency plan," he said.

State police recommend people prepare a 72-hour emergency kit that includes food and water, battery-operated radios, blankets and emergency contact information.

If you do travel, expect delays but also lower gas prices. The same, however, might not hold for natural gas or other fuels used for heating.

"Prices are set to climb in the short term, with the current weather forecast still seeing colder-than-normal temperatures towards year-end, especially in the U.S. South Central, East and Midwest regions," Nikoline Bromander, a market analyst with consultant group Rystad Energy, said in an emailed report. "This week, the Central U.S. region could experience a Polar vortex which could break regional temperature records."