Christmas in the midst of a cyclone: storm moves toward the east

The cyclone that´s sweeping the country continues its advance from the northwest towards the east coast and now the National Weather Service has added warnings of heavy rains and possible flooding in New York. In addition, almost on the eve of Christmas, thousands of flights are being cancelled or delayed and it is feared that the sharp drop in temperatures will cause many roads to freeze over.

The storm that is threatening chaos for millions of Americans over the festive period, started in the Arctic and then passed down through most of Canada, initially hitting the northwestern states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. However, as the days passed, it continued its trajectory eastward and the worst is expected to reach Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and the surrounding areas.

No heating in the middle of the polar wave

In the New England states and New Jersey, flooding of one to three feet has been forecast and cities are already anticipating possible power outages caused by winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Against this backdrop, it is feared that hundreds of thousands of residents may be left without heat in the midst of the polar wave.

With the worst of the cyclone expected to pass Saturday night, many airlines are already canceling thousands of flights. According to flight tracking site FlightAware, more than 2,200 air transfers were rescheduled on Thursday alone. Many thousands more could suffer the same fate over the weekend.

Also, due to the sudden drop in temperatures, many roads could freeze. Faced with this danger, the authorities are recommending moving with extreme caution. For example, this Thursday morning, the National Weather Service registered a minimum temperature of -49 °F (-44.78 °C) in Montana.